Whetstone: Mafia
by CAPTAINPRICE79
Summary: Lance Whitney is a police officer in the ZPD's Precinct One. Laura Stone is an Enforcer in Silvano Big's mafia. When Laura's mission to get close to Lance goes a bit awry, can she keep the truth hidden long enough for things to get better, or will the truth come out sooner than she'd like? Part One of the Whetstone Collection
1. A Chance Meeting(?)

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to the first part in a small story I'm starting. It'll be a few Chapters, likely no more than five at most, probably, and is an AU based slightly on the Mercy Verse by the author Raynos, so thank them for this story. I'll post a Reversal AU for this story later, switching the roles but otherwise leaving the story intact so I can give you basically the same story but with different routes and conclusions as to how that story unfolds. This AU also has grounds in the Nick and I Verse in that Lance and Nick are both on the ZPD, but they aren't in a relationship. Anyway, this is starting to go on long enough, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

Lance Whitney, a Red Fox Todd with a form fitting ocean green shirt that matched his eyes and a pair of blue sweatpants, sat on a stool in the Red Barrel, a popular watering hole for mammals of his size. The name came from both that and the fact it was run by a family of Red Foxes like himself. The door chimed and he turned his head, curiosity poking him like a hot fire poker. He saw a Red Fox Vixen walk in and turned his head again, ignoring her even as she sat down next to him. Her tail brushed his as she did and he moved it to the side, chalking the contact up to an accident.

A second glance to try and get a read on the Vixen turned into a prolonged look as he took in what she was wearing. A simple bright green shirt and dark green velvety vest adorned her upper half, matched well by a navy blue pair of dress pants that left little form to the imagination. Lance turned his head back to looking straight, satisfied he'd seen enough to know not to attempt more than light and polite conversation unless provoked. The Vixen leaked a combination of danger and approachability that that rare to see with almost even amounts like she possessed. It was impressive.

"So, you come here often?" The Vixen asked, turning to look at Lance with a polite demeanor.

"Not really. Just after a hard day at work, normally." Lance answered easily, the Vixen arching an eyebrow in intrigue.

"What is it you do, exactly?" She asked, Lance chuckling. He turned to face her.

"It'll come to you." He answered, the Vixen frowning in thought as she stared at him, looking him up and down in scrutiny for a long while before her eyes widened in recognition.

"You're Officer Lance Whitney!" She said, Lance chuckling again.

"There it is." He said, turning back to the counter.

"I am a huge fan of you, really. I mean, it takes a lot to get enough attention for a police officer already with a partner to work with somebody else." She said, Lance sucking a hiss of air into his mouth at the words. "Er, not like that, sorry. I just-"

"I know what you meant. I still don't like that you said it." Lance interrupted, the Vixen hunching her shoulders.

"Sorry, I tend to not think before I speak. Bad habits die slow and all that." She said, chuckling nervously. Lance eyed her out of the corner of his vision, the Vixen clearing her throat awkwardly and turning back to the counter. After a moment, she sighed and stood. "I should probably go. I only had a few minutes to take a break anyway." She said, Lance turning his head as she walked towards the door.

"Hey, before you go, what's your name?" He asked, the Vixen turning with an amused look.

"Laura. Laura Stone." She answered, turning and walking out the door and leaving Lance alone in the building save for the mammal behind the counter. They glanced at each other and nodded, Lance standing from his seat and paying his tab, then walking out the door and towards his home.

When the Todd stepped through the door and checked his pockets for any loose items, despite knowing he had nothing, he was surprised to find a piece of paper in his left pocket. He pulled it out and unfolded it, frowning in confusion until he saw what it was.

Lance laughed when he found a phone number on the paper, shaking his head. He set the paper down on the counter as he walked past it, still laughing, and entered his bedroom. He changed into a clean pair of pajamas, then laid down and closed his eyes, intent on getting as much sleep as possible.

Several weeks later found Lance walking down the street humming the tune to a song he liked, passing by an alley and pausing at the sound of pawsteps, turning his head in curiosity to see a familiar Vixen leaning against the wall, staring at him with a smirk on her muzzle.

"Got your message." Lance remarked, Laura chuckling as she pushed off from the wall. She was wearing a similar outfit to the one she'd had on when they first met, except the undershirt was navy blue and the pants were emerald green.

"Well that's good. I was starting to worry, seeing as you never responded." Laura said, Lance stepping into the alley so mammals didn't have to walk around him.

"Laura, we're Foxes. We don't do that kind of stuff." He said, Laura frowning. "Well, we _can_ , but it's not something _I'm_ gonna do." He corrected, Laura sighing and hanging her head.

"Will you at least eat with me? I mean, just to see if we could be friends, or something?" Laura asked, Lance smiling faintly.

"Sure, I can do that." He answered, Laura smiling thankfully as she glanced behind her.

"See you later?" She said, Lance nodding.

"Later. I need to finish my paw patrol." He confirmed, dipping his head in farewell as he turned and walked away, back onto the crowded sidewalk in his navy blue outfit.

Laura waited for a moment longer before turning and pulling her phone from her pocket, opening her contacts and selecting a well known name in Tundra Town. She waited for it to connect before she placed the device to her ear.

"Laura here. Officer Whitney has agreed to meeting for lunch." She reported, silence lasting for several uncomfortable moments.

" _Good. Do what you need to in order to ensure as much cooperation as you can. We_ need _the information the ZPD has."_ Her employer said, Laura sighing.

"I know. I'll do what I can, Silvano. Nothing more, nothing less. As is expected." Laura said, knowing her employer wouldn't mind her usage of his first name. She'd earned the right to use it, after all.

" _As is expected."_ Silvano agreed, Laura disconnecting the call and pocketing the electronic, looking around. She sat down, leaning against the wall without a second thought. She had plently of spare suits, and she could always get this one cleaned. Soon, however, her eyes closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Later. After finishing his paw patrol, Lance sat in his cruiser with an indecisive expression. He reached for his radio, stopped, then extended his paw a bit further, and then stopped again. With a growl of determination he didn't really feel, he grabbed the radio and keyed it.

"Dispatch, this is Officer Whitney." He said, releasing the button and waiting for all of two seconds before he got a reply.

" _This is Dispatch, Officer Clawhauser speaking, how may I help you, Lance?"_ The infectiously bubbly and cheerful voice of the rotund Cheetah, Benjamin Clawhauser, said. Lance smiled faintly.

"Hey there, buddy. Listen. I need a favor, if you can. There's a friend of mine in town right now that needs my assistance with some thingsm so I may be a bit. Think you can cover for me or something?" Lance said, Clawhauser remaining silent for a long moment.

" _Sure thing. Just try to hurry, I don't know how long I'll keep you out of trouble."_ Clawhauser advised, Lance chuckling.

"Thanks, Ben. I owe you one." He said, hanging the radio back on the dash as the door to the passenger side door opened and Lance's partner, Nick Wilde, climbed into the cruiser.

"Hey Lance, you mind if I turn up the AC?" The clearly exhausted Todd asked, Lance inclining his head in answer. "Thanks." He said as he turned the air on, letting out a sigh of relief as the cool air washed over him.

"It isn't that hot out, Nick." Lance remarked, the other Todd shooting a glance at him. "Oh, by the way, I have a friend in town who needs my help. Ben said he'd cover, but do you think you could help him? I won't be more than an hour, hopefully." He added, Nick pausing before he turned to Lance with an arched eyebrow.

"What kind of 'friend' and what kind of 'help'?" Nick asked hesitantly, Lance shrugging.

"You know, moving some stuff, things like that. Nothing too difficult or time consuming." Lance answered easily, the lie startling him. He'd always been good at lying, sure, but that was probably the fastest he'd come up with a lie like that.

"...yeah, I guess I can. But you owe me." Nick said after a moment, Lance nodding in acceptance.

"Thank you, Nick. And yes, I'll make sure to cover for you for whatever." Lance said as he opened the door. "See you later." He quickly added as he hopped out of the crusier, shutting the door behind him as he turned and jogged off towards where he'd last seen Laura.

When he arrived back at the alley, he was quite surprised – and amused – to see Laura asleep on the ground a few feet back from the entrance. Her ear twitched as he approached, Laura opening her eyes and turning her head. Her eyes opened quickly when she saw him, her expression lighting up in excitement.

"Lance, there you are! God, I thought you'd never come back." She said, Lance chuckling in amusement at how excited she sounded.

"Well, here I am. Where did you have in mind?" He said, Laura pausing in surprise before her expression contorted in consideration. After a moment she shrugged.

"Don't really care where, just as long as it's good." She answered, Lance nodding as he thought about various places. "Oh! I know a place in Tundra Town that serves some mean fish, if that's okay." She suddenly said, Lance blinking in surprise. He considered the time table he had set.

"Uh, sure. Should have time for that." He said, Laura sending him a quizzical look but saying nothing. She began to walk towards the exit of the alley, but Lance stopped her. She turned, an eyebrow arched in questioning. "Perhaps you should dust yourself off?" Laura blinked in surprise then nodded, clearly embarrassed to have forgotten such a thing. She quickly brushed as much dirt as she could off, then turned, her head turned as well to look at Lance.

"Clean?" She asked, Lance flushing awkwardly as he hesitated in looking down. "Lance, come on, don't tell me you're too good to make sure I'm clean. You don't want me to embarrass myself, do you?" Lance knew she was baiting him, but he sighed in defeat nonetheless.

"Yeah. You're clean." He answered, shoulders hunched as Laura turned back around.

"Thank you. Now, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" She asked, Lance grumbling as he kept his head turned away. Laura frowned, then stepped up to him. Lance looked down at the short Vixen, who was at least a foot or so shorter than him, out of the corner of his eye. She was unnaturally small, making her seem like a younger Fox than she was. "Lance, look at me." She said, Lance hesitantly turning his head to look at her.

Laura was almost pressed right up against him now, and Lance took a compulsive step back. Laura followed him, Lance continuing to step back until he hit the wall behind him. Laura stopped only centimeters from touching him, staring up at him.

"Laura, back up, please." He said quietly, the Vixen blinking in surprise. His paws clenched, and it occurred to Laura he may have some kind of actual issue with being so close to somebody. She took a step back, Lance letting out a breath of relief as he shook himself ever so slightly. "Thank you."

"Lance, why are you so reserved about being close to somebody like that? I mean, I get that you barely know me, but that's not it...is it?" Laura asked, Lance opening his mouth to answer, pausing, then closing his mouth. He sighed.

"I'm...still recovering from something." He answered, Laura lowering her gaze to the ground in silence. "It was a long time ago, but it's haunted me to this day. I...I just don't know what I did wrong." His voice was choking up, and his eyes were wetting. "I did everything I could to be a good boyfriend, but I know I did something wrong, I just don't know what!" Lance had sank to his knees while he'd talked, and Laura felt genuine sadness at his words. She ignored her instincts, which told her that going near him was the complete opposite of good for her safety, and wrapped her arms around him. Lance locked up, eyes widening in shock, and weakly tried to pull away. His heart wasn't in it, however, and could only pull hard enough to budge Laura's arms an inch.

"Something tells me you did everything right, Lance." Laura said, the Todd remaining silent. He had no idea what to say to that.

"Thank you." Well, that was a fine place to start, he supposed. "We should probably go if we're gonna get there soon, huh?" He asked, Laura remaining still and silent for a long moment. "Laura?"

"Shut up." The Vixen ordered, Lance blinking in surprise. Of all the things he'd expected to hear out of her mouth, those two words were just about off the list.

"Um, okay-" Lance was cut off by Laura grabbing his shirt and pulling him towards her, rotating so he was on the ground under her. "Um, Laura-"

"We're not going anywhere. Not until you get everything out." She said, Lance looking down to where she sat atop him. He looked back at her.

"Um, okay, can you at least get off me?" He asked, Laura frowning. "I get aroused easily, and I don't want to make this any more awkward." He explained, Laura sighing

"Lance, you aren't going to make this awkward because of simple biology. It takes much more than a simple erection to faze me."

"Well that's a relief. At least now I can die of embarrassment knowing you aren't bothered." Lance remarked sarcastically, Laura frowning.

"You mean "won't be", right?" She asked, Lance opening his mouth to answer when she blinked. "Oh." She flushed. She'd expected it, sure, but...

"...Kill me now. Please." Lance said, clearly embarrassed beyond his ability to handle. Laura sighed.

"Just ignore it." Laura said, Lance staring straight at her in an obviously not amused fashion.

"Do you have any idea how tight these pants are?" Lance asked, Laura's expression taking on a look of consideration.

"...I'm guessing very." Laura remarked after a moment, Lance rolling his eyes. He glanced around, then rolled to the right and pinned her to the ground. Laura yipped in alarm.

"Apologies. But I was getting tired of being pinned. Not exactly my favorite position, in anything." Lance said, standing up and dusting his knees and back off. He smirked down at her, and Laura noted that he seemed to have calmed down rather quickly. She stood with a chuckle and dusted herself off as well, then crossed her arms as she stared at him in consideration. She leaned in, mouth next to his ear.

"Well, it is mine." She whispered, pulling away and taking a step back to see his reaction. Lance was flushing bright red, the blush clearly seen through his fur, and Laura laughed.

"Good to know." Lance squeaked, causing Laura to snort.

"Oh my god, that is so adorable I swear." She said, Lance hunching his shoulders as he averted his gaze. "No, seriously, Lance, that's seriously adorable." She said, the Todd's ears perking up from where they'd laid down against his skull, the Todd clearly surprised to hear that.

"R-really? You think so?" He asked, turning to look at her incredulously.

"Of course I think so. I wouldn't have said it otherwise, right?" Laura answered, Lance smiling faintly at the words.

"Thank you." He said, clearly genuinely glad she had said that. "I've always had a bit of a vocal range, so it's nice to meet somebody who likes it." He added, Laura blinking in surprise. She flushed.

"Of course. Who doesn't like to hear compliments, especially heartfelt ones?" Laura asked, Lance smiling in agreement.

There was silence for a long moment.

"So, I should probably go..." Lance said, Laura blinking.

"Of course. I'll...see you soon?" She said, Lance smiling.

"Hopefully." He answered as he walked past her, Laura feeling warmth spread through her chest at the words.

Lance strolled through the doors to the ZPD's Precinct One almost fifteen minutes earlier than he'd expected, Clawhauser looking up in curiosity from something behind his desk. His expression lit up in joy when he saw Lance.

"Hey, Lance, you're back! You get done sooner than expected?" Ben asked, Lance nodding.

"Sure did. Turns out it was easier than I'd expected. Who'd have known, right?" He answered, Ben nodding in agreement.

"Right." He said. "Oh, by the way, Nick told me to tell you that he wanted to see you when you got back." Lance arched an eyebrow in curiosity.

"He say what it was about?" The Todd asked, Clawhauser shaking his head. "Huh. Odd." Lance made his way towards the office he shared with Nick, wondering what he might have wanted that was so urgent.

Stepping through the door and shutting it behind him, he turned and was surprised to see Nick sitting in his chair, clearly waiting.

"So, Lance, how'd the thing go?" He asked, Lance shrugging.

"Pretty good. Got done a bit quicker than expected, so that's good." Lance answered, shrugging as he sat down at his own chair.

"Oh, really? Well, that _is_ pretty good." Nick said, Lance feeling unease settle inside him at Nick's tone.

"You say that like you know something I don't." Lance remarked, turning to face Nick with a tilted head.

"Perhaps I do. But don't worry, I'll be sure to tell you...eventually." Nick said, Lance blinking in surprise. He sighed, then turned back to his desk with a grumble.

Laura opened the door to her apartment in Tundra Town and made to close it when the door to the apartment across from her opened and she turned. An Arctic Fox Vixen and European Hare stepped out, saw her, and both froze as the three mammals stared at each other.

"Um...this is not being what it looks like-" Laura cut the Vixen off with a smile, the Vixen and Hare looking at each other.

"Oh don't worry. I couldn't care less who you love, as long as you love them." Laura said, turning and walking into her apartment. She shut the door behind her, leaving the Vixen and Hare alone.

In the middle of changing her clothes, Laura heard the crinkling of paper in her left pocket. She furrowed her brow in confusion, reaching into her pocket and pulling the paper out. She opened it, a frown on her muzzle.

Laura's eyes widened in shock as she read the paper, a breeze flowing through her window – she kept it open when she was home – stirring her naked upper body. Fur waved slowly as the wind breezed over and through it, Laura just standing there for a long moment. A smile slowly split her muzzle and she let out an excited yip, clutching the paper as she pulled her phone from her pocket hurriedly.

 _'He_ actually _pulled the same trick I did back when we first met!'_ She thought in amusement, excitement coursing through her that she finally had Lance's number. She was that much closer to completing her mission!

Her expression fell at the realization, her paw freezing, digit hanging over her boss' number, as she considered if she really wanted to do something like this for the first time since she'd first done it, some five or so years ago. It was a strange feeling, but somehow she felt like it was wrong to do this to him. The weirdest part was that she wasn't even going to be physcially hurting him in any way.

With a deep breath to ease her fears, she lowered her digit...and pressed the 'home screen' button. She would report back later, when she'd gotten back her lost resolve. She thought back to the time in the alley, wondering if perhaps she was really falling in love. It was a stupid notion, of course, but it wasn't something she could strike off. As an Enforcer in Silvano Big's mafia, she had learned to leave all options on the table whenever possible.

 **And that does it for Chapter 1 of Whetstone: Mafia! I hope you guys like this little story, because it was just a random idea I got while reading Mercy by Raynos. Go give that guy a read, as he's definitely worth it. The title of 'Whetstone' is a clever little usage of Lance and Laura's ship name. The word Whetstone is used because, well, Laura's last name is Stone, and also because Lance is, at least how I characterize him personally, is kind of like a knife. He's sharp, he's good in close quarters, and he can either leave a simple cut o the top layer of skin or a fatal blow depending on how hard he's pressed. The third and final reasoning behind 'Whetstone' is because Laura keeps him sharp and focused, amonst other things, whereas he's usually a bit more whimsical and (only apparently) unfocused on anything he doesn't have any interest in (he actually notices more than he lets on and archives it for later processing). This is a bit shorter than I would like, but I felt like the ending was a perfect place for the first Chapter to end. The theme for this story would probably be Better Days by Hollow Point Heroes. I apologize I didn't publish Chapter 33 of Zootopian Assassins yesterday, I promise I will upload 2 Chapers next week. Also, last thing I swear, but I'll have Chapter 5 done before Chapter 2 so I have a definite goal to work towards and won't lose track of some things. The story may extend past it if people want more, but I make no promises. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I will see you guys...next update. Word Count: 3,934**


	2. Mates

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 2 of Whetstone: Mafia! I've written Chapter 5 and the Epilogue already, so that way I can finish the story the moment I have Chapter 4 done. I need to be working on Chapter 44 of Zootopian Assassins, but I want to get this done first. As soon as I'm done with this story, I'm gonna finish up Zootopian Assassins with no breaks to my other stories. When I start uploading for other things, that means I've gotten the final Chapters done. I can finally finish up Kinesis Beginnings, thank god! Maybe write some more Tooth and Claw, because I quite miss that. Sure you guys do as well. I will probably rewrite Chapter 7 of Kinesis Beginnings since I'm not too happy with it right now, despite being almost done with it. It just doesn't flow very well, at all. This Chapter skips ahead a few months around the middle portion, so that I can develop Lance and Laura's relationship a bit to the point established in Chapter 5. It gets a bit smutty near the end, but it isn't gonna be actually smut. Just a heavy buildup until I skip to the aftermath because that's where the important stuff is. I hope the buildup isn't too much and doesn't follow the FF rules, but please don't report me if not. Just tell me and I will tone it down a bit, as it's technically against the rules to have sexual content on FF. Don't ruin others' chanches to enjoy my work just because you're an extreme rule stickler or whatever. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

Lance hummed absentmindedly as he tapped his claws on his desk, his expression his neutral expression, or as Nick liked to call it sometimes, 'Angry Serial Killer Face'. Lance wasn't quite sure what made him use _that_ name, since his nuetral expression was more similar to a bored one, but Nick just kept saying it fit. Lance wasn't too sure about that, but he didn't argue anymore.

"I won't give up or refuse." Lance sang quietly, the sound of a chair creaking behind him letting him know Nick had heard him.

"I didn't realize you liked Skillet." Nick remarked, Lance chuckling.

"Only, like, three or four of their songs. I mostly like them for the beat and stuff. Anything with a good workout beat to it is fair game for me, doesn't matter what it is." Lance said, turning to face Nick. "One of the reasons I tend to like dubstep a lot." Nick grimaced at that, and Lance chuckled. He knew Nick despised dubstep for some odd reason, which is why he always kept some ready to play if he wanted to listen to some. Nick would mostly ignore it, but he was prone to snapping at Lance to turn it off on occasion.

"Ugh, I don't get how you can listen to that stuff." Nick said, Lance rolling his eyes.

"I have told you time and time again, I just like the beat. Same with some of my other music. I don't mind if it talks about stuff I don't like as long as it has a good beat to it. Some rap songs, for example. I think they're mostly filth, but if I like the beat, then there's a fair chance I have it downloaded somewhere. Laura called it my own personal paradox when I told her about it during our meetup." Lance said, Nick tilting his head in curiosity.

"Laura's that Vixen you mentioned running into at the Red Barrel, right?" He asked, Lance arching an eyebrow.

"You asked that yesterday." He pointed out, Nick shrugging. "To answer your question, though, yes. You are correct in that assumption, though not in your guess that's I'm 'madly in love' with her. I don't quite get how simply agreeing to meet up for lunch in order to get to know each other a bit more equates to being head over heels in love, but it's not correct. I'm merely a bit intrigued by her, is all. She has a sense of danger and approachability I've not seen in anyone before, at least not in such equal amounts. It's...interesting." He added, Nick smirking slightly.

"Well, for us Foxes, as I'm sure you know, relationships are a big deal. I'm just going by what you told me about her, how you described her appearance to near perfection, and how your olfactory presence changes when you mention her. It wasn't hard. Unlike you, when you mentioned how form fitting her outfit was." Nick said, Lance choking on the hot chocolate – he despised coffee – he'd been taking a sip of. He was careful to set the cup down as stable as he could, since he really liked the taste of it. He made sure it wasn't too close to him before he started coughing. He tended to spasm a bit when he choked.

"I was-" a particularly hard cough interrupted him. "I was _not_ aroused by simply talking about her outfit. That's a bit of a stretch, even for you. If anything, I was simply confused how somebody could be so comfortable showing off that much of their form." He managed to get out what he wanted to say, despite the coughs. Nick simply smirked in amusement at his expense. Lance knew he would have helped if he had been in actual danger, but it was still slightly concerning he didn't appear worried.

Then again, Lance couldn't really judge him when he tended to react underwhelmingly to just about everything most of the time, at least outwardly

"Right, and I'm a Nazi supporter." Nick remarked, silence falling between the two of them for a long moment.

"...You aren't, are-"

"No."

"Oh, okay."

With his question answered, Lance turned and resumed tapping away at his desk, humming a different song now. It took only about five seconds before Nick spoke again.

"King Nothing?"

"Yep."

"Nice."

"Mhm."

Laura leaned against the wall casually, a lighter in paw. She raised it up to eye level and flicked the wheel, watching the flame dance in the light breeze that circled through the building. She had a thing for fire. Probably something loose in her head for thinking it was beautiful, but there was something about that which could destroy so easily that she found solace in. Maybe it was the way it moved when touched by wind, perhaps it was the way it provided warmth when she felt cold in either body or soul, or perhaps it was something else. She couldn't be sure, but Lance was apprently the same way, but also with gunpowder.

He said it was something about the smell that he found enticing, and the way the smell lingered after a while. He didn't like it when it became more than a moderate smell, though. Any heavier and it irritated him like nothing else. He also found the kick of a gun to be either a comfort when he was stressed or an annoyance when he was already sore from a long and exhausting day at work. He was very specific that the smell of discharge wasn't cordite when she had mentioned it, which she found amusing for some reason, and that he hated when others got the smell wrong.

Overall, they'd both learned interesting things about the other, but there had been something about the way that Lance described how he liked the smell of gunpowder that sent chills up Laura's spine. His voice was soft, almost erotically so, and his voice took on a slight hint of some foreign accent she found pleasurable to hear. She suspected the accent was just for effect and not natural, but she wasn't going to complain.

Despite that, however, she was only slightly closer to finishing her mission than she had been before the meetup. She suspected she'd have to play the long game with the Todd, though that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. He seemed to take the matter she'd put forward much more seriously than some of the Foxes she'd met in her time, which was intriguing. He wasn't into just random hookups for simple pleaure. He wanted a heavy relationship, but at the same time he wanted something that would work for a long while instead of a simple release of stress. If Laura was actually interested in a relationship and not just on a mission, she knew she would be bad for him.

 _'Speaking of which, I should go see Silvano before he suspects I'm getting lazy or something.'_ With a chuckle at the thought, Laura shut the lighter and pocketed it before turning and walking towards the Big household. It wasn't that far from where she was, so it wasn't like she was inconvenianced by a small detour.

When she arrived, she sent a small dip of her head in greeting to Kevin as she passed, the Polar Bear returning the action. She waited for the gate to open before stepping through, hearing it shut behind her but paying it no mind. The gate closing didn't mean anything.

When she stepped into Silvano's office, however, she was immediately aware of the fact that Raymond and Koslov were standing by the door she'd walked through. That wasn't normal, and that worried her. What made it worse was that they wouldn't look at her. She turned her gaze to the Arctic Shrew as she stepped forward, paws behind the small of her back.

"Ah, Laura, it is good to see you again." Silvano said, Laura smiling slightly.

"Good to see you as well, sir. I apologize for not reporting back last night. I encountered a distraction that ended up being more time consuming than I'd initially thought, and by the time I was done I didn't think you'd appreciate being woken up just to hear that I'd learned Officer Whitney found comfort in the smell of light to moderate gunpowder. Though if I was wrong to assume such, I apologize." She responded, the Shrew humming in appreciation of her explanation.

"I understand, Laura. We can't expect everything, most certainly not in this line of work. I appreciate that you are honest with me, but I hope that you are not getting too into your work. Kevin reported that you seemed to genuinely enjoy your meetup with Officer Whitney." Laura felt momentary alarm that Silvano had had the Polar Bear watch the enounter, but didn't think it wise to comment on it.

"Well, he is pleasant company. If he weren't a mark, I would certainly consider making him a close friend of mine, even if for nothing more than a laugh when I'm stressed." Laura remarked, Silvano's rather bushy eyebrows lifting up noticeably at her words.

"High praise, coming from you." He said, Laura shrugging slightly.

"I think he's earned it. Feels good to let out a few genuine laughs. Takes a bit off the shoulders." She responded, Silvano chuckling.

"I must agree with you there. But back to my original question, now. How do you...feel, about Officer Whitney?" Laura blinked at the question, then frowned in thought as he head lowered slightly.

"I suppose...in a way, I wish I didn't have to use him the way I do, but that's more because I hate to betray those I think would make good friends than any actual interest in him. If you are worried I may grow to actually care for him, rest assured, that won't get in the way if it does happen. It may hurt, as those kinds of things do, but it won't be too hurtful as to impact my performance in the future." Laura answered, though she was admittedly unsure if that was completely right.

"Are you positive? I do not mean to be rude, but are Foxes not..." Silvano trailed off, as if searching for the right word.

"Monogomous? We are, sure, but we can move on if we want, just takes longer than most mammals." Laura said, a chuckle escaping her. "But I wouldn't worry. He's enjoyable to be around, but that's about it."

"Sometimes, Laura, that is all that's needed." Silvano remarked, Laura blinking. She sighed.

"I guess we'll see, then." She said, Silvano nodding.

"I guess we shall. That is all." The Shrew said, Laura dipping her head and bowing slightly.

"Sir." She said in farewell, turning and walking out with paws still behind her back. She removed them when she stepped outside, rubbing her arms a few times before placing her paws in her pockets as she made her way home.

When she stepped through the door, she made sure to lock it behind her as she made her way towards the bathroom. She needed a warm shower, and badly.

Several months after his and Laura's first meetup, Lance lay on the couch in the center of his living room, tossing a ball into the air and catching it in boredom. Laura had asked him if she could come over a few days prior, and while he thought that asking such a question was something reserved a bit more for a pair of Foxes that were closer than just friends, he wasn't going to turn her down just because he thought she was going too fast. Could be she was just curious, anyway.

Knocking at his door made his head snap up from where it'd been laying, Lance sitting up and setting the ball on the table as he walked past it, opening the door. He wasn't too surprised to see Laura standing there, though not dressed in any formal wear, which actually _did_ surprise him. Well, except for the ever present green vest.

"I was beginning to think you weren't gonna show up." Lance remarked jokingly, Laura chuckling as he stepped to the side and allowed her to enter. She looked around, letting out a pleased hum when she saw the inside.

"I'm amazed, how can you afford this on a cop's salary?" Laura asked, Lance laughing.

"Barely, I'll tell you that much. Takes up most of my paycheck just staying here. Doesn't leave me much for the stuff I want." Lance answered, Laura arching an eyebrow at that.

"Geez, if it's that bad, I could always help." Laura offered, Lance staring at her in shock. "What?" Lance hesitated, clearly unsure how to react. Finally, he swallowed nervously.

"While I appreciate the gesture, I don't get why you'd be so willing to spend money on me when we're not even together. Seems a bit...much." Lance said, Laura frowning.

"Isn't that what friends are for? Helping each other when they need it?" She asked, Lance opening his mouth to answer, then pausing.

"Well, yeah, but I've never met somebody who'd be willing to pay part of their friend's bills when they don't live with them." Lance answered, Laura humming in thought. She approached him until she was more or less right against him, Lance clearly uncomfortable with how close she was but not wanting to offend her by speaking up.

"Well I guess I'll just have to move in or something, then." She said, Lance blinking.

"Laura, we aren't even dating. Don't you think that's a bit...far?" He asked, the Vixen shrugging.

"I wouldn't really know. Not much experience in this area." Laura answered, Lance sighing.

"Well, I mean, I don't know why you'd be so willing to do something like that unless your own apartment is absolute crap, but I suppose if you really want to and it won't affect your job too much, then I guess you can. Like you, I've got no experience with this kind of thing so I've just got my own morals and the like to go by." Lance said hesitantly, still clearly unsure about the whole thing. Sure, he counted Laura amonst his friends, but outside of that...would it really be so bad to see how a relationship with her would go?

Sure, the Vixen still oozed danger, but he was starting to suspect that was simply a front she put forth so she wouldn't be bothered. After all, she'd been nothing but friendly with him, and had left no evidence she intended to harm him, so a simple testing of the waters might do him some good, even if they didn't end up working.

With a quiet grunt of approval of his own idea, Lance took a deep breath. Laura shifted back when he did, apparently willing to get in his personal space but not touch him unless he said otherwise, and he couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped him. His paw came up to her head and ruffled the top of it, Laura's expression taking on annoyance as her ears layed down. She said nothing, though, apparently finding it annoying but not too much so.

"Please tell me there was a reason for that." She said when his paw removed itself from her head, Lance chuckling again.

"Of course there was." He said, sending a playful wink at the Vixen as he turned and walked over towards the couch. His paw twitched as he passed the ball, and he quickly bent down and lifted it up, turning and plopping down onto the couch. He tossed it up into the air as Laura stared at him with confusion. She frowned as if she was trying to figure something out. "Please, don't be afraid to sit." He said, gesturing to the couch space next to him. Laura arched an eyebrow but said nothing as she approached, sitting down with a small sigh of comfort.

"Hmm, soft." She remarked, Lance chuckling as the ball came down again. There was a pause of silence as Lance waited, opening his eyes in confusion when the ball didn't land in his paw again. He turned his head and saw Laura holding it, looking it over in curiosity. "Stress ball. Foam, obviously. Probably fifteen years since it came from the package. A little bit more weight to it than normal, which I suspect means you or somebody else has added a bit of weight to it somehow. Maybe a medium sized ball bearing in the center or something." Laura squeezed the ball experimentally. "Ah, large. My mistake." She tossed it towards Lance, who caught it casually despite the dumbstruck expression on his face.

"Um..." Laura turned her head towards Lance. She glanced at his form fitting shirt.

"I'm guessing Asperger's. Correct me if not." She said, Lance's jaws parting in shock. He averted his gaze, taking a deep breath. It came out rattled, like he was holding back emotion, and Laura blinked.

"Yeah. Thanks for the reminder." He said, Laura feeling horrified realization strike her that she may have not said the right thing.

"Oh god, Lance, I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." She said apologetically, clutching her head in her paws as she leaned forward. "I keep forgetting that mammals don't like to be scanned."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not that bothered, you just kinda caught me by surprise." Lance said, though his head was still turned away from her slightly. Laura raised her head and hesitantly moved closer to him, laying a paw on his. He turned his head in surprise, Laura smiling softly.

"Lance, please, I didn't mean to upset you. Just tell me if I say something you don't like, okay? If I'm really gonna move in you need to not be afraid to speak your mind. I can take it, I promise." She said, the Todd opening his mouth, paused, then closed it. He nodded.

"Alright." He said, taking a deep breath. "Can you take the vest off?" Laura blinked at the request before a grin split her muzzle.

"Lance, if you really wanna see me naked you don't have to be so sly about it." She teased, Lance arching an eyebrow.

"Ah, darn, you caught on. Well, guess that's a bust then." He said, making Laura chuckle. "Oh well. I'll just have to try again some other time." He shrugged.

"Or, you could just ask." Laura suggested even as she unbuttoned the vest and set it down on the back of the couch. Lance eyed it briefly before moving to her shirt. Much like her formal wear, it was a green color, this time a lighter lime green to contrast the darker forest green vest.

"Ah, but where's the fun in that? I think it'd be much more worth it if it was a challenge to get you undressed without you catching on as far as possible." Lance said, Laura grinning.

"Well, good luck with that. I pride myself on knowing what's going on in my surroundings, including what sneaky little Todds like yourself are doing with the paw they think I didn't notice." Laura said, Lance glancing down in confusion. He hadn't moved his paws-

Lance froze in shock as Laura suddenly leaned up and placed a soft kiss on the side of his muzzle, a smirk on her muzzle that had 'I won' written all over it. Well, two could play at that game, if she so desired.

Lance raised his gaze up and met hers with a seemingly bored expression.

"That the best you got?" He asked, Laura blinking. He arched an eyebrow in further provocation, Laura frowning to herself. He'd gotten better since that day in the alley.

"Well, guess I'll just have to step up my game, then." She remarked, Lance waiting for a moment to see what she would do. He glanced at the clock to see what time it was, and that was when Laura struck.

Reaching out and gripping his wrist, Laura yanked as hard she could and leaned to the side, slamming Lance onto his back on the couch and quickly straddling him. He blinked in surprise at the sudden change in positions before Laura interrupted his thought process by leaning down and pressing her muzzle to his.

Lance didn't have much experience or knowledge when it came to kissing somebody in a romantic way, but Laura appeared to have plently of knowledge on the matter. Experience seemed to be there, though Laura could have always just been one of those mammals that was inherently good at it.

Lance didn't even notice that Laura had raised his paws above his head and had them pinned to the cushion, he was so enraptured by the way she had pressed herslef against him, both in body and muzzle. She almost seemed to comform to him, which was an experience to feel. Lance's back arched ever so slightly as he groaned against Laura, his paws clenching.

Laura raised her head up after a long moment, panting slightly. Lance was panting as well, something that rarely happened when he exerted himself. He shook his head and forcibly blew air out of his muzzle as if sneezing, but without the unpleasant mucus that came with actual sneezing.

"Whoa." He said quietly, eyes wide. He blinked rapidly, then yawned. His lips peeled back as he did so, and he sensed an increase in Laura's olfactory presence when his teeth showed themselves. So she was into that, was she?

"Good?" Laura asked, Lance nodding his head. "Good to hear. Hope I didn't ruin you, though."

"Oh, you most definitely did. Thanks." Lance said, Laura chuckling.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that reaction, honestly." She admitted, Lance smirking faintly.

"I've been told I'm full of surprises." He said, Laura smirking

"Oh really? Show me, then." She said, Lance grinning in response. He effortlessly raised his paws up, Laura blinking as he sat up and turned, bringing his legs under him and coming back down, pinning her to the couch, all in under five seconds. He grinned down at her, Laura feeling the first sense that all was not as it seemed with Lance that she'd felt. For the first time, she had a glimpse into what he was actually like, and it was...perhaps terrifying was too harsh. Intimidating was more like it, but she also liked the idea that Lance carried that kind of side to him that he hid behind a shield of friendliness and averageness. She'd have to see if she could bring that side out more often in the future, when nobody was watching or could interrupt. She'd always been one to like danger. It was thrilling.

Lance lowered himself down, Laura anticipating that he'd kiss her. She was surprised, then, when he nosed her muzzle to the side and opened his mouth. His jaws closed slightly, only enough for her to feel his teeth gently run and and down her neck. She gasped in pleasure, arching her back and groaning as his jaws moved and lightly increased in pressure on her shoulder, her paws slamming against the cushions on the couch as a loud gasp escaped her, her senses overloading for a few seconds, all except for the pleasure.

When she got her bearings again, Lance was staring at her in surprise, his head raised up as his nose flared.

"Huh." He said, Laura flushing in embarrassment as she realized what had happened. She _really_ liked teeth, yes, but this was a first. It'd never happened that quickly before.

"Well, that was...something." She remarked, panting heavily.

"An interesting something." Lance agreed, smiling faintly. Laura opened her mouth to say something, then paused as hesitation crossed her features. "Something the matter?"

"No, I just...don't think it's fair for me to get off and you don't." Laura said, Lance chuckling.

"Well I hardly need you for that, but I appreciate the offer." He said, Laura smirking.

"Who said it was an _offer_?" She asked, Lance blinking. "Or that it was restricted to just you?" Lance seemed to realize what she meant after a second or two of thinking, because he flushed noticeably.

"Accidentally getting somebody off is a bit different than that, Laura." Lance said, Laura frowning. "I mean, sure, I knew you would like it, but I didn't realize you would like it that much."

"How'd you realize that?" She asked, apparently confused.

"Your olfactory presence increased significantly when I yawned earlier. It wasn't too difficult to figure out." Lance answered, Laura flushing at the words. She really needed to get that under control somehow.

"Oh. Okay then." She said, averting her gaze slightly.

"Personally, I think it's kind of a cool kink." Lance admitted, Laura snapping her gaze back to him in surprise. Her eyes were wide, which showed off her deep blue eyes that Lance was beginning to find attractive. While his favorite color was most definitely green, blue was a close second.

"Really?" Laura asked, Lance chuckling.

"Really. Not one of _my_ kinks, but I don't have an issue with it." Lance answered, Laura lowering her gaze slightly in thought. She raised her gaze back to his with a smirk.

"Well, let's see if we can't change that, yeah?" She suggested, Lance's eyes widening in surprise and horror as she heaved and flipped their positions. She opened her jaws and she slowly lowered her head.

"L-Laura, wait, don't-" as Laura's jaws found his neck, he suddenly froze. Laura froze as well, surprised by the way he was reacting. Sure, she knew not everybody liked teeth like she did, but she'd never had this reaction before. Little did she know that her wish to see the side of himself Lance kept hidden was about to be fulfilled.

Lance suddenly heaved and threw her off, Laura falling sideways and hitting the small coffee table. Her wrist ended up between herself and the table, and a loud crack filled the room. She yelped in pain and then fell to the ground. She raised her head up towards the couch to see Lance on all fours, lips peeled back as a growl rumbled from his throat. Laura felt fear like she'd never felt before take over her, seeing Lance like that while looking at her.

"L-Lance?" She said nervously, the growl growing louder. For a moment, Lance looked like he was about to pounce, but the moment passed when he suddenly whined and shook his head, a paw raising up from the couch and clutching his head. He opened his eyes again and blinked when he saw her. His gaze lowered to her wrist, which she clutched to her chest, and his eyes widened in fear.

"Laura, what did I do?" He asked, fear in his voice. He shifted closer slightly and Laura let out a small noise of fear, leaning back slightly and making him freeze. His expression softened in horror, something that made for an odd combination, and Laura watched as he seemed to come to the worst possible conclusion he could. "Laura, please, tell me, what did I do?" He begged, Laura opening her mouth to answer, then stopped herself, Lance taking it as a sign that she was afraid to tell him. "Laura, I am _begging you_ to tell me what I did. Please." Laura swallowed nervously.

"You just pushed me off. That's it." She said, Lance letting out a breath of relief.

"Oh thank god. Laura, I'm sorry. I know I should have told you before, but I didn't want to drive you away. Please understand I didn't want to hurt you." He said, Laura taking a deep breath.

"I know. I should have listened when you said not to. I'm sorry I didn't." She said, raising herself up to a stand. She winced when her injured wrist shifted, and Lance's ear twitched.

"Your bone just shifted. Fracture, possibly, or a break. We should get it checked out." He said, Laura blinking.

"You heard that?" She asked, Lance smiling sheepishly.

"My senses get heightened a bit when this kinda thing happens. It fades pretty quickly, though, so I only barely heard it." He admitted, Laura humming.

"Interesting. We've learned all kinds of things about each other tonight, I guess." She said, lowering her gaze slightly. Lance had learned she was turned on by having teeth on her, and now she knew that Lance's survival instincts were higher than anything she'd seen before, enough for him to snap and be ready to attack somebody for only a light touch to his neck. Lance seemed to be full of firsts, and she liked it. It was refreshing.

"Yeah, right. Let's go." He said as he stood, extending his paw towards her with her vest hanging on it. She took it and pulled it on, then paused when Lance stopped her from trying to button it. "I got it." He said, Laura lowering her paws as Lance quickly buttoned the vest, taking a step back when he was done.

"And here I thought you were too shrewd to do something like that." Laura teased, Lance chuckling.

"There's a difference between offering assistance to someone who needs it and the way you suggested that day in the alley. Though before this whole fiasco happened, I suspect that might have been where we were going." He said, Laura humming.

"Well, I'll just have to be more careful next time, then. Stay away from your neck." She remarked, Lance shrugging.

"I'll be sure to let you know of any other areas you might have to watch out for. So far, though, I only know about my neck, so the rest will be guesses." He said, Laura nodding.

"Understood. Can't wait." She said, Lance chuckling as he approached the door.

"Don't forget your lighter. Fell into the cushions when you pinned me." He said, Laura blinking in surprise. She turned and reached into the couch, pulling her lighter from behind a cushion with her uninjured paw with a soft hum of interest. Lance seemed to notice more than he let on; _she_ hadn't even realized it'd fallen.

Pocketing the small device, Laura turned and followed after Lance. She'd get her wrist checked out, then see what she could do to try and report back to Silvano. She suspected he'd be interested in the things she'd learned, even if they weren't related to her mission. She still needed to try and get the information on what the ZPD knew about Silvano's mafia, something that would be difficult if anybody caught the faintest whiff of her allegiances and told Lance. He'd be extra vigilant about what she asked, which would mean a failure. If he knew that her lighter had fallen into his couch when even she hadn't, who knew what he'd find out by increasing how much he archived about her.

It was July by the time Laura had gotten her wrist out of a cast when the doctors had informed her the impact hadn't just fractured or broken her wrist, it had _shattered_ it. Lance had apparently thrown her off harder than she'd thought. That or she had gained weight since she'd last checked. Either one could be true, though she hoped it was the first. She worked hard to keep herself around a certain weight, and gaining a few pounds suddenly without any possible cause was...problematic.

Currently, she sat on the couch inside her and Lance's now shared apartment, the Todd in the kitchen looking for a snack. He ate a lot of junk food, yet somehow he never seemed to change in terms of general appearance. It would be baffling if he didn't have such a physically demanding job with ready access to equipment if he felt it was necessary or wanted to be safe.

"Hey, Lance, can you toss me an apple or something?" She asked, raising her paw – the one that hadn't been injured – with paw pads towards him. Something smacked dead center and she lowered her paw, chuckling when she saw a bright red apple. He always had some, yet never seemed to eat them. Perhaps they were just in case he had some prey over or something.

She liked to eat them occaionally, though, so at least they wouldn't _all_ go to waste. Biting into the fruit, Laura chewed absentmindedly as Lance approached. He leaned over the couch, Laura ignoring him for a long few moments until she finished the apple, at which point she paused to jog her memory on the right trajectory of the trash can, then tossed the core over her shoulder. Three seconds later, the sound of it landing in the trash can made her grin to herself. Still had it.

She raised her head as she swallowed.

"You want something?" She asked, Lance tilting his head but remaining quiet. "Well? You find a snack?" At that he grinned, lowering his head slightly.

"Well, not really, but I decided I was hungry for...something else." He said, Laura taking a moment to catch on. She grinned.

"Well then what are you waiting for? Teeth." She said, Lance chuckling as he disappeared. He reappeared a second later as he came around the couch, leaning over and supporting himself by placing his arms on the couch cushion on either side of her. She smirked up at him, as if egging him on, and Lance grinned. His arms came down and easily lifted her off the couch as he spun, falling onto the couch with Laura in his lap. He licked his lips nervously, then leaned forward and pressed his nose against her neck. He shifted around, as if searching for something, then opened his jaws and applied pressure on the spot where her neck met her shoulder, slowly sliding his teeth up and down her neck and onto her shoulder. It was on the third pass up her neck that she realized his jaws tightened slightly when they passed her jugular, something that she found...interesting. He stopped as he came down, taking a deep breath before suddenly releasing her. She opened her mouth to ask if something was wrong when he suddenly pressed his muzzle to hers, silencing her as his paws came up. His paws smoothly unbuttoned the vest she'd decided to wear that day, and he had tossed it to the side before she realized he had taken if off her.

 _'Must be really in the mood, then.'_ She decided, applying pressure from her end into the kiss. Lance reached down and undid the bottom button her shirt, continuing up until about the halfway ppint as if a thought had suddenly hit him. He pulled back slightly, Laura tilting her head in confusion.

"Do you want this?" He asked, Laura scoffing.

"Of course I do. Would I be allowing you to do this if I didn't?" She asked, Lance smiling faintly.

"Alright, fair enough." He said, continuing to unbutton her shirt. Laura tossed it aside when he finished, then stopped him when he automatically reached for her pants. He arched an eyebrow. "You got me off first last time. Let me return the favor." She said, Lance opening his mouth to argue. "No buts."

"I was just going to say that I'm not into oral stimulation. Pretty much anything else is fair game, though, though please do run stuff by me before you do anything, just to be safe." Lance said, Laura frowning.

"Then what do you call what you do with your teeth?" She asked, Lance's expression briefly flashing to annoyance.

"I mean the more well known types of oral stimulation. The teeth thing I do to you is fine because there's no taste after." Lance paused, as if considering something. "Though if you'd be willing, I've heard good things about Fox tails." Laura smirked at that.

"Sure thing." She said, leaning forward and pressing her muzzle to his as she reached down and lifted up his shirt, the two separating only long enough to get the outfit over his head and tossed away before they were back at it. Lance's mouth parted slightly to allow more oxygen into his body, and Laura didn't hesitate to use that to her advantage.

Lance froze in surprise when he felt Laura's tongue slip into his jaws, the feeling both alien and...strangely right. He accepted it quickly, though hesitantly as he was still unsure about this whole thing, and pulled Laura against him tightly.

Pulling away from the Vixen, Lance leaned forward and wrapped his jaws around her shoulder, Laura groaning at the contact. Lance felt a shift in her scent, a hint that she was closing in. He applied a bit more pressure, enough to feel the skin bend slightly, and Laura groaned again, much louder this time. He applied no further pressure, however, thinking it better to save actually rending the flesh for when it would be necessary to mark her. Didn't stop him from nipping lightly on her, though.

It was on one such nip that Laura shifted slightly, Lance's teeth scraping her neck a little too hard. She hissed in pain and Lance pulled away quickly, feeling fear lance through him at the prospect he might have cut her.

"Laura, you okay?" He asked, the Vixen nodding her head. Lance reached up and moved her head to the side, looking at where his teeth had been.

"Lance, I said it was fine." She protested, the Todd shushing her.

"I've had a bit of medical training. Not much, but probably more than you." He said, Laura grunting but complaining no further. After a long look, Lance finally nodded. "Just a scratch, but it might take a while to heal. Maybe get something with a collar, if you're conscious about how you look."

"What makes you think I'm conscious about my appearance?" Laura asked, Lance arching an eyebrow in amusement.

"Well, it was extremely difficult to figure out with all those vests and other formal attire you usually wear. I almost didn't even realize." He said, Laura rolling her eyes.

"Alright, fair enough. Maybe I just like to dress nice, though. Doesn't mean I'm self conscious." Laura defended, Lance chuckling.

"Perhaps not." He agreed, leaning forward and trailing a soft lick up the sid eof her neck. Repeating his movements slowly and carefully, he did his best to cover up the nick on her neck. Laura groaned at his actions, Lance feeling her claws – which rested on his shoulders – digging into his skin enough to be felt, but not enough to do any damage. No, that would come later, when the marking began.

Laura gently pulled away, a smirk on her muzzle. Lance tilted his head in curiosity, a huff escaping him.

"I was thinking, and I've decided to skip the foreplay." Laura said, Lance arching an eyebrow.

"You sure?" He asked nervously, Laura smiling reassuringly.

"I'm sure. I need you, and _now_." She answered, Lance chuckling.

"Well alrighty then. Better strap yourself in, 'cause it's gonna be a _humpy_ ride." He joked, Laura staring at him for a long moment before he seemed to realize what the stare meant. "Not funny?"

"Funny, just too easy." Laura corrected, Lance frowning. "But enough about jokes, didn't you say you were hungry?" She asked, Lance's expression changing to a grin of lust.

"I did." He said, turning slightly and lowering Laura onto her back. Both of them reached down and began working at their pants, tossing them aside carelessly.

Lance paused as a thought crossed his mind, Laura frowning in annoyance at his apparent reluctance.

"Ugh, what is it this time?" Laura asked, clearly annoyed.

"I don't have-"

"I got pills. Now shut up and-" Laura cut herself off at Lance's confused expression. "You know, just in case. Rather have it and not need it, than need it and not have it." She explained, Lance chuckling.

"AvP, Adele Rousseau, played by Agathe de La Boulaye. In response to Alexa asking about her firearm." He said, Laura blinking in surprise.

"A movie buff too? Well, I am discovering all kinds of new things about you lately." She remarked, Lance shrugging. She reached up and gripped the fur on his chest, pulling him down and into a deep kiss as she quickly snaked her legs around him and pulled him forward, both groaning at the action. Lance winced, something Laura took note of through eyes almost completely closed. Almost. They pulled apart. "What's the matter Lance, scared?" She teased, the Todd licking his lips slightly.

"A bit. First time and all." He admitted, Laura smiling reassuringly.

"I'll talk you through it, seeing as I've done a lot of research." She said, Lance arching an eyebrow. She rolled her eyes. "Y'know, porn."

"Oh." Lance said, cheeks lighting up like a sparkler stick. "I uh...I don't think that counts as research, but...thanks, I guess."

"Well I couldn't just let our first time be a night of awkwardness and embarrassment. Start off with slow movements, in and out, but not all the way out. Have any questions, I'll see what I can do to make sure you get the answer you want." Laura defended, Lance shrugging faintly. He nodded his head, then began to do as she said.

Laura leaned against the wall, still naked, some time later. The clock told her it was five in the morning, and she sighed quietly. Lance lay on the couch, unconscious as a mammal who'd been given chloroform, and she nodded to herself. Silvano would probably be awake by now.

Laura silently moved around the room, gathering her clothes and sniffing them. Presentable, she supposed. She made her way to the bathroom, stepping into the shower and turning it on. She waited for a moment, then began to clean herself. Just to be safe.

After getting dressed, including a wrapping on gauze on her shoulder for the bite marks that came with the territory of mating between Foxes, Laura stepped into the living room and wrote a quick note on a piece of paper, saying that she had to go out for a bit on an errand. She wrapped her paw around the door handle, turning it and beginning to pull on the door.

"You know, unlike movies, it's usually suspicious if somebody leaves soon after mating." Laura froze at the remark, turning her head slowly to see Lance staring at her, still laying down on the couch.

"Ah, well, I have something I need to get. I shouldn't be long, hopefully, unless the shop I usually visit is closed. Turns out the pills went bad; who knew, right?" Lance narrowed his eyes suspiciously, Laura keeping a straight face. After a moment, Lance sighed and nodded his head.

"Alright. You want something when you get back?" He asked, Laura shaking her head.

"I'll see about picking something up in town, if possible. If not, I'll make myself something when I get back. I shouldn't be long, but you never know. Don't wanna make you late for work and all that." She said, Lance dipping his head in acceptance.

"Very well. Should probably see about getting a bit more sleep or something, at least until the alarm goes off. See you later, then?" Laura nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, later." She said, smiling as she turned and opened the door.

"Love you." Lance said quietly, Laura almost not catching it. She did, however, and she froze, eyes wide in shock. She took a deep, silent breath.

"Love you too, Lance." She said, turning her head and sending him a smile to show she had merely been caught off guard by the words. Sure, she knew he'd say them some time, but the one time she'd been too distracted to expect them? Jesus, he had some timing skills.

Laura shut the door behind her, then began walking towards the evelator.

When Laura arrived at the pharmacy, she stepped through the door and approached the front desk. The clerk lowered the newspaper they held in exasperation, eyes shut as they sighed.

"Look, can't ya read? The sign says-" as their eyes opened, they froze when they saw Laura. "Oh, my apologies. W-what can I do for you, Miss Stone?" The Zebra asked nervously.

"Relax, Archie. I'm just here to get some preg pills. Nobody's in any trouble, I promise you." She said reassuringly, the Zebra noticeably relaxing. Her expression hardened. "Unless...there's something I should know about."

"Oh, no, sorry! I was just scared because the deadline is normally much later into the month, that's all." Archie said, letting out a nervous chuckle. Laura's expression shifted back to the friendly and approachable smile she'd had on her muzzle.

"That's good to hear, Archie! You know I hate having to report you for stuff. It seems unfair after all you've done for me when I need medication and all that." She said, the Zebra nervously nodding in agreement.

"Well, I do my best to do right. Now, you said pills, right? Recent or surprise?" The Zebra asked, Laura chuckling.

"Few hours ago. Lance caught me trying to sneak out, but I told him the pills were expired." The Zebra's eyes widened and Laura realized her mistake. Jesus, Lance really was messing with her head, wasn't he?

"Wait, your mark is Officer Whitney!? Laura, are you insane?" The panicking Zebra asked, Laura scoffing.

"You know I don't pick 'em. Blame Ramone; he's the PB that picks the marks for Enforcers." She said, Archie sighing.

"I swear, sometimes I think you mammals really are crazy. Marking the criminal underworld is one thing, but a freakin' cop?" Archie shook his head. "Suicide, I tell ya." He placed a bottle on the counter, Laura placing it in the pocket on the inside of her vest.

"You know something, Archie? Despite the fact you can be a real cocksucker when you want to be, I think you really do care after all." She said, the Zebra snorting.

"Well, no offense to the other Enforcers, 'course, but you're much preferable to be handled by. You actually seem to recognize I'm a mammal, just like you are." The Zebra said, Laura chuckling as she pulled her wallet from her pocket and passed a ten to him. He took it, Laura holding up her paw as a sign to keep the change.

"Oh, the others recognize you as a fellow mammal, they just don't care. To them you're somebody that likes to be late with payments. To me, you're somebody who's too smart to try and mess us over by keeping money we require to keep you...serviceable. I know business isn't the best for you, so I'm willing to forget that you have that safe in your office. After all, I heard Zach was in an accident, and I may be one of the best Enforcers, but I'm no monster. All I ask is that you do your best." Archie looked terrified by this point, and Laura smiled at him reassuringly. "Oh relax, Archie. I'm not threatening you, just making a few observations and speaking truths. I'll say nothing to the others, don't you worry your little self over it. Just between you and me." With that, Laura turned and walked towards the door, stepping out into the rising sun and narrowing her eyes, shielding herself with her paw with an annoyed hiss.

Laura stepped into an alley and leaned against the wall, pulling the bottle from her paws and glancing at the instructions.

 _'One or two pills. Alright.'_ She opened the cap and shook out two, throwing them into her muzzle and swallowing. She put the lid back on, then placed the bottle back into her vest and pulled out her phone. She dialed the Big household, then waited.

" _This is Koslov. Did you require something, Laura?"_ The Vixen chuckled at the question.

"Yeah. Setting up a metting in...three hours. Can it be done?" Laura asked, Koslov humming in consideration.

" _Yes, it can be done. Mister Big will be excited to see you again; we were worried when you said you hurt your wrist a few months ago."_

"Ah, right. It's all fine now, don't worry. It's related to some info on Lance, though, so expect to be hearing about it." Laura said, Koslov huffing.

" _I will be keeping an ear out, then. Sounds like a story."_ He remarked, Laura chuckling.

"Sure is. See you later, Jumbo." She said, Koslov scoffing at her nickname for him. It was well known she liked to nickname others, and took inspiration from many shows she watched.

" _See you later, Laura."_ Koslov said, the line disconnecting. Laura pocketed her phone and pushed off from the wall, walking out from the alley.

"Hey there." Laura froze at the words, slowly turning her head to see none other than Lance's partner at the ZPD, Officer Wilde, standing there with a smug grin on his muzzle.

"Officer Wilde, what brings you here at this hour?" She asked, a friendly tone and expression in use.

"Oh you know, just taking a short walk. Enjoying the sights, the smells..." Nick's expression hardened. "Looking for mafia Enforcers."

"Well, I wish you luck on your hunt, then." Laura remarked dryly, her friendly demeanor fallingin favor of her Enforcer persona. Not quite friendly, not quite threatening. A mix of both.

"Lance will find out." He pointed out as she made to walk past, Laura freezing at the words. She felt icy fear grip her at the words, a side of her she'd never encountered before feeling primordial terror of being abandoned by a mate. She squashed the feeling as she turned to Nick, her expression steel.

"I would suggest not. For all you know, I could just be making a character profile, but that doesn't mean my feelings are fake." She said, Nick's smirk growing slightly.

"Oh, but something tells me you aren't just making a character profile. No, Silvano wouldn't waste the Seductress on a measly character profile." He said, Laura giving no external reaction to her moniker amonst the criminal underworld being uttered. She didn't really care for it, despite its accuracy.

"No, but nobody said I was doing this on orders." With that, she turned and walked away, leaving the Todd to think on that.

Laura turned the corner and walked a block before turning into an alley, leaning against the wall and taking a deep breath. She continued to do so, then clenched her paws in anger. Letting out a half a dozen different explatives of varying severity, she turned and punched the wall...then let out a half a dozen more explatives as pain radiated from her paw, this time going for the most vulgar words she knew. Her vocabulary was quite extensive in the field of cussing, so she didn't have to think about the words before they left her maw.

She was pretty sure her Catholic parents would have fainted if she heard some of the words she used to make herself feel better.

Two hours and fifty eight minutes later, Laura strolled up to the gates of Silvano Big's well sized home, waving offhandedly to the Polar Bears standing guard on either side as she walked inside. She made her way to the main meeting rom, then knocked on the door.

" _Enter."_ Koslov called, Laura opening the door and shutting it behind her as she approached the desk, paws making their way behind the small of her back like always. Silvano sat in his chair, and she felt his eyes scrutinizing her appearance.

"Approach, please." The Shrew said, Laura approaching. He gestured for her to bend down and turn her head, which she did. "What is this? What happened to your neck?" He asked, Laura starting in surprise at the question.

"It was an accident." She said, the Shrew humming in annoyance at her attempt to dodge giving him a true answer. She sighed. "Lance found out about my thing for teeth a few months ago. I...mistakingly tried to do the same, and his instincts kicked in and he threw me off. That's how I hurt my wrist; it got between myself and a coffee table, which shattered it. Just last night, we...got together. Lance used his knowledge of my thing for teeth and tried to do it again, only he accidentally applied to much pressure, leaving the mark you see now." She revealed, the Shrew remaining silent for a long moment in consideration.

"You said his survival instincts kicked in when you tried to use your teeth on him. Explain." Laura dipped her head.

"My teeth were only barely touching his neck when I felt his entire body stiffen. He...seemed to have reverted to a more primal stage of evolution for a short period of time, no more than ten seconds but probably less, and threw me off of him. I injured my wrist, and he came back to himself after a few more seconds of warning growls." Laura said, Silvano lowering his head in thought.

"He is a danger, then. Shall I remove you?"

"NO!" Laura said quickly and loudly, surprising everybody in the room, especially herself. "I mean, no sir. Officer Whitney is not a danger, there was simply a lapse of judgement on my part. He warned me not to touch his neck, but I didn't listen and thus the injury I sustained as a result was my own fault. I wish to continue my mission, if you don't mind." The Shrew seemed to consider this for a long moment, falling silent. Finally, he nodded.

"Very well, but I want you to drop the mark if you are inured again by him, accidental or not." He said, Laura dipping her head.

"Thank you, sir. I will, I promise." She said, waiting for the Shrew to dismiss her. When he didn't, however, she grew concerned.

"Do you care for the Fox, Laura? More than you should?" Silvano asked after a moment, Laura blinking in surprise at the question.

"No sir, I simply don't wish to give up on my mission because of a simple and unimportant mistake." She answered, the Shrew making a noise of interest.

"Very well. You may go." He said, waving his paw. Laura bowed.

"I shall report back as soon as I have enough information, sir. If I might ask, could you possibly tell Fru Fru I said hello?" Laura knew she may have been pushing her luck, but she missed talking with the entertaining Shrew, even if her voice was...well, obnoxious was being kind. Laura put up with it, though, because she thought Fru Fru was genuinely fun to talk to. That certainly made up for the voice.

"I shall." Silvano said, Laura dipping her head in thanks.

"Thank you, sir. I shall be seeing you." She said with a smile, turning and walking out the door.

When she arrived back at her and Lance's apartment, Laura stepped inside and removed her vest, placing the bottle of pills on the coffee table in case she needed them again. It was a definite possibility Lance would be interested in more when he got home.

Lance stepped through the door to his and Laura's apartment, a sigh escaping him. The day had been...perhaps interesting was putting it mildly. Nick seemed upset about something yet wouldn't tell him what, a definite sign something was up. Nick didn't normally keep things from him. Even better, Lance was put on parking duty. It was his day to do it, unfortunately, so he'd had to deal with an upset partner _and_ upset citizens who seemed unable to realize he was doing his job and held no malicious intent by giving them parking tickets. The new drivers were the worst, by far. He'd almost been assaulted when a seventeen or so Timber Wolf had caught him trying to ticket his car, and had only kept himself from arresting him because the pup's mother had come out a moment or so later. Apparently he was helping her with something. For perhaps the first time in his career, Lance had seen a citizen who seemed to know what he had to deal with when he did parking duty and made her son apologize. He'd awkwardly done so, but Lance had simply waved it off with a comment about being used to it. Which was the truth, sure, but he'd never been nearly assault before. That was new.

Lance paused as he passed the couch, taking a step backand turning his entire upper body to see Laura sitting on the couch and plaiying on her phone, sans shirt and pants. She arched an eyebrow.

"What?" The Vixen asked, Lance opening his mouth to say something, then sighing.

"Nothing." He answered, walking towards the bedroom and pulling his uniform off. He paused when paws wrapped around his waist, paws dipping suggestively low.

"Oh really? Because you seem upset. I don't like it. I much prefer you with that little expression you made last night." Laura said, Lance huffing in amusement. "Perhaps you could make it again?" Lance turned quickly, Laura's paws not hesitating to lightly grope his rear. He smirked.

"Well, I can't do it alone. Think you can help?" He asked, Laura grinning.

"Oh, I can do much more than help." She answered, pushing him backwards slightly. Lance let her, despite the fact he could easily turn the tables if her wanted to. He felt his legs hit the edge of the bed and stopped, Laura frowning. He reached down and easily lifted her up, Laura yelping in surprise, before sitting down on the edge of the bed. Laura's legs were wrapped around him, as were her arms, and she pressed her muzzle to his roughly. Lance felt something inside him give way at the roughness, a small growl escaping him and making Laura freeze.

"What'd ya stop for?" Lance asked, Laura pulling back slightly. "Was it the growl? Sorry, kinda just slipped out."

"Uh, it's fine, just...surprised me. Last time you growled..." Laura trailed off, Lance's ears flattening against his skull in shame.

"Laura, I'm sorry, and I can't apologize enough for what happened. I tried to warn you, really."

"I know, Lance. It's fine, really. I think it's kinda hot when you do it like you just did, honestly. All aroused and possessive and the like." Lance arched an eyebrow at that, before slowly grinning. He turned easily and brought his legs under him, leaning forward and pinning her to the bed. Laura stared up at him even when she realized he had pinned her paws above her. Seems he had more that a simple 'gentle' setting.

Lance growled quietly and low in his throat as he lowered his head, nosing her neck and taking deep breaths. He opened his jaws and snapped them shut, stopping himself at the last moment right as his teeth touched her neck. Laura groaned as he slowly and softly raked his teeth up her neck, pulling away and raising his head up. He nibbled on her ear, drawing a gasp from her. She'd never had somebody bite her ear before, and it was...no, excited was too weak a word.

Lance raised himself up to here he was looming over her, though still pinning her paws above her, and his growl slowly became louder as his nose flared until it was more or less a full on snarl. It was strangely arousing, seeing the normally soft spoken and polite – though crass and not afraid to put somebody in their place if need be – Lance go from that to a much more wild side, and the thought that he could easily be mistaken for Savage if his eyes weren't still round crossed Laura's mind. He lowered his head quickly and roughly pressed his muzzle to hers. Gone was the hesitance and fear of bringing harm by being too rough, and in its place was a deep, primal need of two completely different things. Laura couldn't tell what alarmed her more, the Todd's need for her or the need for violence that his actions and growls told her.

Under normal circumstances, the thing that would worry her most was that Lance was so polite normally and yet had a primal urge towards violence she'd never seen before, but considering the fact of where she was and who she was with, this could hardly be called normal cir-

Laura let out a sharp cry as Lance finally drove her past the breaking point, her back arching, chest pressing firmly against his and breathing becoming a bit more difficult. Lance's growl took on a far more pleased tone, apparently happy that he'd been able to drive her to that point with nothing but a bit of teeth work.

 _'Jesus effin' Christ, he's good.'_ Laura slowly came back down to earth, her breathing clearing a bit. It took a moment for her to realize that Lance had gone and stripped the rest of the way sometime during her release.

"You know, I'm starting to realize something." Lance said quietly, almost huskily, and Laura felt her own arousal grow at the tone.

"Oh yeah? What?" Laura asked, the Todd grinning in response, a full display of his teeth making her squirm against him. Her recovery had come quickly, and now she was burning. Lance leaned down, muzzle right next to her ear as she felt him right up against her.

"I've fallen too far and too hard for this to end." Laura wasn't expecting that, and she remained silent for a long enough moment for Lance to pull back, apparently worried he'd said the wrong thing. Laura smiled at him.

"I know what you mean." She said, raising herself up and pressing her muzzle to his softly, Lance growling quietly at her words. He easily pushed her back down as he drove forward with a growl of possession and love.

Lance slowly opened his eyes, the feeling of warmth on top of him making him smile softly. He reached up and attempted to pull Laura up a bit, only to bite his tongue to keep himself from hissing in pain when doing so pulled on him as well. It would seem Laura had managed to somehow get herself knotted without waking him up. Interesting, but not too strange. He was a heavy sleeper when he exerted himself, and boy had he exerted himself the night before. He'd been far rougher than he had intended, but then again Laura hadn't seemed to mind so he supposed it wasn't too bad. Maybe. Possibly. Hopefully.

Lance sat up slowly, holding onto Laura tightly as he made his way to the bathroom. He needed a good, long, and hot soak. His muscles, specifically his arms and legs, were extremely sore and he really didn't want to go to work barely able to move.

As the bath slowly filled up, he felt Laura stir aginst him slightly.

"Mm, Lance?" She said quietly, raising her head to look at him. He smiled at her.

"Hey there, Laura." Lance said softly, placing a soft kiss on top of her head. Laura made a noise that sounded similar to a Feline's purring, and Lance chuckled. "So I saw you woke up not too long ago." He remarked, glancing down at where they were still stuck together. Laura flushed awkwardly.

"Sorry. You were talking and I thought you were awake. It wasn't until I got tied that I realized you had simply been talking in your sleep." Laura said quietly, Lance arching an eyebrow.

"How'd you figure that out?" He asked, Laura flushing awkwardly even more.

"You mentioned your partner." She admitted, Lance blinking.

"Ah, okay then. It wasn't...weird, was it?" He asked nervously, Laura shrugging.

"You didn't think I was Nick, if that's what you're asking. No, you just said, 'Nick, we need to' and the rest was lost in mumbles." Laura answered, Lance sighing in relief. He leaned over and turned the faucet on the tub off. "Oooh, a soak. Thank god."

"You sore too?" Lance asked in surprise, Laura rolling her eyes.

"Lance, that was only my second time. You were a bit rough, though not painfully so. Just a bit sore, nothing major." Laura said, adding the last part when Lance looked worried.

"Well I'm glad I didn't hurt you. I don't think I could live with myself if I did that." Laura seemed surprised by his words, but smiled after a second.

"You're hardly gonna drive me away by accidentally being too rough, Lance." She said, the Todd sighing as he raised himself to a stand. He stepped into the water and slowly sat down as best he could trying to support himself and keep Laura steady.

Both Foxes let out sighs of relief as the hot water touched their sore muscles, Laura especially so seeing as her sore bits were a tad more sensitive than Lance's were. They sat there for a long moment in silence, simply letting the water loosen their cramped muscles and the like, and eventually Laura noticed that they'd become untied, but not necessarily that Lance had disappeared. She shifted her hips slightly, Lance opening his eyes.

"Laura?" He said in curiosity, the Vixen tilting her head. Lance glanced down and she grinned, leaning forward.

"I've always wanted to do it in a hot bath." She said huskily, nibbling on Lance's ear slightly and drawing a groan from him.

"Is that so?" He asked quietly even as Laura finally found what she was looking for and lowered herself. His paws clenched slightly, though it went unnoticed by Laura as they were underwater.

Lance reached up and gently wrapped his paws around Laura, the Vixen gently rocking so as not to send water onto the floor. Lance leaned his head forward and into his shoulder, letting out small noises of pleasure that Laura found adorable. Laura let out a quit gasp as Lance applied tiny, almost nonexistant bucks of his hips to assist her. Her paws tightened their grip on the thick fur at the base of his scruff, something Lance apparently noticed because he let out a small, stuttered gasp and locked up. Laura could tell he was trying to preserve this gentle passion between them, something she appreciated. He could be rough when he wanted to, but mostly he appeared to care more about pleasing her than actually getting off himself. It was strange, but she liked the feeling the realization gave her. It was warm and made her smile softly, even as Lance slowly resumed movements.

Somehow, some time later when the water had cooled noticeably, Lance managed to not only drive her over the ledge twice, he also managed to tie them with only a tug on her shoulders to pull her down and a gentle pressure from his hips. She couldn't remember a time any one of her previous marks had been so considerate and gentle.

They sat there for a long while, enjoying the feelings of pleasure they both provided each other with small movements as well as the feeling of relaxation a warm bath gave. Eventually Lance reached out and expertly unplugged the drain with his hind paw, Laura grumbling quietly even though the warmth had left the water long ago. She was comfortable now, and didn't really want to get up.

 _'I suppose, if I must.'_ She thought grumpily, letting Lance stand as she did herself.

The pair got dressed silently, Lance pulling on a clean uniform and Laura simply putting on a change of casual clothes. She didn't expect to go anywhere today, so no sense in dressing in her normal clothing. She walked into the living room and plopped down onto the couch.

"See you in a few hours, Laura. Love you." Lance said as he walked past, bending down and placing a soft kiss on her muzzle.

"Love you too. Be safe out there." Laura said as Lance stood, the Todd chuckling.

"I'm always safe." He remarked as he walked towards the door, Laura huffing in amusement.

"Right, and you're also a cop. So be extra safe, please." Laura surprised herself with her words, but didn't let it show.

"Of course. Want me to pick you up anything when I get off?" Lance asked, pausing at the door. Laura was silent for a moment in consideration.

"I'll call if I want anything." She finally answered, Lance dipping his head. "See you later."

"Later." Lance agreed as he shut the door behind him, Laura leaning back into the couch. She made to get comfortable, then paused. She turned her head and took a deep breath, then growled when the smell of passion reached her. She couldn't go to sleep with that smell permeating the entire apartment. It'd either keep her up or drive her insane with hot dreams.

With a determined huff, Laura stood and made her way to the bedroom.

Laura collapsed onto the couch with a sigh, letting out a small noise of relief at finally being able to relax. It had been several hours since Lance had left already. Most of that time had been spent trying to make the bedroom smell nice and get rid of the smell of sex, and the rest had been waiting for the sheets and blankets and pillows to be washed at the small building down the street. The complex itself didn't have a community area for cleaning clothes and the like, so she'd had to get undressed and then dress in her normal clothes.

After all that had come the task of getting the sheets, blankets, and pillows all put back in place properly. She never had been very good at making a bed, something that always surprised her previous marks. Whether it was because she was a female or just because she was good at so many other things she wasn't quite sure.

Laura paused as a thought crosse her mind. Had she taken the pills earlier? She was pretty sure she had, but there was always the possibilty she had forgotten, as ludicrous as it seemed. She reached out and picked them up from their place on the coffee table in front of the couch, looking at the labels.

 _'Oh, great. Taking more than two within twenty four hours may make me sick. Lovely. Probably shouldn't risk it.'_ Laura sighed and set the bottle down, rubbing her head with a sigh. Why couldn't she remember if she had taken the pills or not? Had she really taken them, or had she forgotten to before her task of making the bedroom seem like two decent mammals lived there? She wanted to take two just in case, but she didn't want to make herself sick on accident. It'd be embarrassing when Lance found out, let alone her boss and the other Enforcers.

"Ugh, I hate my life sometimes." She muttered, closing her eyes as she continued to run her head. She didn't need to, but it felt good to. Another thought crossed her mind, something she had archived during her and Lance's session in the bath.

Why was he so sensitive around the lower end of his scruff? She knew the area was sensitive, sure, but she thought it made a mammal instinctively go limp, not cause them pleasure. Better yet, why was Lance's fur so thick? It was getting late into the year, sure, but they lived in a warm portion of the city. Hers was understandable, seeing as she had lived in Tundra Town for so long, but Lance? That was an anomoly, and she wasn't sure if the number of anomolies with the Todd were comforting or not.

He not only got pleasure by having the base of his scruff touched, he also got thicker fur when the temperature would normally drop outside of a climate controlled city. On top of that, he seemed to revert to a primal state of mind when he throat was touched. Then, there was the matter of the primal need of violence Laura had felt dwelling within the Todd the night before.

There were just so many different things that made him unique, and Laura honestly couldn't tell if that scared her or made her love him more.

Laura froze as the thought crossed her mind. Did she really love him? Sure, she said she did, but that was just a part of her act, wasn't it? She couldn't _really_ be falling in love with the Todd, could she? That was just some stupid cliché in movies and books and the like, right?

Of course it was. She wasn't falling in love with him, she was just intrigued by his various differences. That was all it was. It had to be.

Laura let out a stuttered cry of complaint, rubbing her eyes. She rolled over and let out a growl, just wanting to forget about the thought. Her head perked up and she turned her gaze towards the tv, eyeing the remote. She reached out and grabbed it, pressing the pwer button. Nothing happened and she frowned, flipping the remote over and removing the cover. She tilted her head at the rolled up piece of paper in it, pulling it out and unraveling it. It seemed to be a sticky note.

Laura's expression dropped when she saw the rather well drawn face of a Fox sticking their tongue out and winking.

 _'Lance, you cheeky dick waffle.'_ She stood and looked around frowning to herself. She looked back at the sticky note and flipped it over, and sure enough there was a note on the back.

 _'The batteries are taped under the coffee table, by the way.'_ Laura reached under the table and felt around, eventually finding them in the corner and pulling them free, peeling the tape off of them and placing them in the remote. She turned the tv on and began looking for something to watch.

Lance stretched in his chair, letting out a yawn as he stared at his computer screen with a bored expression. He turned his head in curiosity at the sound of the door opening, then turning back around when he saw it was just Nick. After a moment of not hearing Nick sit down, he turned back around and saw him standing there, staring at him.

"What?" Lance asked, annoyed Nick hadn't spoken up.

"Did you know? About Laura?" Lance blinked at the question, then tilted his head.

"Know about what? She ain't pregnant, is she?" Lance asked, Nick sighing.

"That's a no then." He muttered, shaking his head. "Lance, Laura...Laura is an Enforcer in Silvano Big's mafia." Lance stared at Nick for a long moment, remaining silent the entire time.

After almost two whole minutes, Lance let out a laugh.

"That;s a good one, Nick." He said with a chuckle, turning back around to his computer screen. Nick stared at him in shock, not expecting this reaction.

"Excuse me?" Nick asked after a moment, Lance turning back around in surprise. "Lance, you think I'm joking about this?"

"Well, yeah. I mean, I've known Laura for almost a year now. She isn't cruel enough to be an Enforcer in a mafia." The Todd answered easily, Nick hanging his head.

"Lance, I overheard her talking to Koslov, Big's Head Enforcer. She set up a meeting between herself and Big himself, something about you." Nick said, Lance frowning.

"Alright, say I believe that my mate is secretly an Enforcer in a mafia. What could she possibly gain from being with me?" Nick visibly blanched at the word 'mate'.

"Uh, well, I don't know, don't we have that investigation about some of the shadier things happening in Tundra Town lately?" Nick asked, Lance rolling his eyes.

"If all you have to support this stupid theory is suspicion, then I don't want to hear it. For all you know, 'Koslov' could be somebody else entirely who wants to hear more about me from Laura. Could just be a friend." Lance said, Nick letting out an annoyed growl.

"Alright. Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you if she ends up hurting you." Nick said, Lance raising his paw and flipping him off as a sign to leave him alone. Nick walked over to his own desk and sat down with a huff.

 _'Why can't he believe me? Does he think I'm just jealous or something? For god's sake I'm his partner, I just want to look out for him! Why can't he see I'm just trying to protect him from being hurt!?'_ Nick clutched his head but stayed silent, his lips peeling back as his grip on his head tightened. He could feel his claws digging into his skin, but he didn't care-

Something smacked into his head from behind, Nick turning in surprise to see Lance looking at him. Nick looked down and saw a rolled newspaper. Must have been from the trash, seeing as Lance always put them there when he found them on his desk.

"Don't cut yourself." Lance remarked, turning back around to his own desk. Nick reached up and felt his head, looking at his paw and cursing at the small splotch of blood on his pad.

"Aw, crap. I'll be right back." He said, walking out of the office and towards the bathroom.

Lance waited for a moment before banging his head on his desk, making the keyboard jump slightly. Nick had a point about Laura, he knew, but at the same time how did he expect him to believe him when he said that Laura was a mafia Enforcer? It was crazy, but at the same time it explained her formal dress sense. That wasn't enough to go off, though, and Nick should know that. He would just have to wait and see how things turned out, he supposed.

 **And that does it for Chapter 2 of Whetstone: Mafia! Holy hell this got out of hand with its length, didn't it? I hope the bathtub scene wasn't too smutty for FF. I tried to keep it barebones, since I wanted to go for a sense of 'sensual' instead of 'fap to this because it's porn' with the scene. I think I did it pretty well, but tell me what you think. And please do just tell me if it's too much against the rules of FF. I will just edit it out of the FF version if it is, but please don't report me for a scene that can easily be edited out with no effects on the story. This wasn't supposed to be this long, originally, but it just kinda kept going and none of the possible stopping points seemed good enough until the one that actually ended the Chapter arrived. This is my longest Chapter I've written ever, including my Lumis Oneshot for Zootopian Assassins. It's only a few hundred words longer, but it's still longer. I hope you guys enjoyed this, because I certainly did. This is probably my most vulgar story with the addition of the word 'cocksucker' being used, but I think it fits Laura's character. Her cussing vocabulary is quite extensive, but, this being a story written by me, you won't see most of it. Just imagine the absolute worst of those kinds of words and you have Laura's angry speel down pat. A lot of four letter words were uttered, but not only restricted to starting with F, if you know what I mean. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I'll see you guys...next update. Word Count: 13,779**


	3. Love

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 3 of Whetstone: Mafia! This Chapter will probably be shorter than last time, hopefully, but it may also be of similar length. It all depends, I suppose. So last Chapter had Nick catch onto Laura and tell Lance, but Lance (naturally) didn't believe him. This is going to cause friction that comes to a head in Chapter 5, which you guys will probably like. There will be hints of this friction this Chapter in a short sparring match, but other than that I'll save it for the actual scene. Also, you get to see what happens inside Lance's head when he gets into a physical fight, and it's...not pretty. As hinted, Lance is** ** _extremely_** **prone to violence, which is why he tends to be friendly and cheerful to those he likes. It offsets his natural personality enough to keep himself at bay. He struggles with this during fights, and this Chapter will best demonstrate that. Hope you like it. Also, this Chapter is set a few days after last one. Just thought you'd like to know. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

Laura stared into the fire that sought something to touch only inches from her muzzle, her paw beginning to feel the warmth as the metal wheel of the flip lighter heated. She ignored the sound of approaching pawsteps behind her, knowing who they belonged to. She twitched her ear to indicate she knew they were there, and the pawsteps stopped.

After a moment, she turned her head, fire still going.

"Is something the matter, Lance?" She asked, the Todd approaching more. He lowered himself onto his knees and wrapped his arms around her lightly, a soft smile on his muzzle.

"No. Just...admiring the view." Lance answered, Laura chuckling. She turned back to the fire. "Beautiful."

"It is, isn't it?" She asked, Lance's paw coming up and hovering next to the fire. A digit reached out and squashed it, Laura shifting her eyes to the left.

"It is quite the sight." He agreed, raising his head up and nibbling on her ear softly. "But it wasn't the fire I was talking about." Laura grinned faintly.

"Well thank you. I appreciate the compliment." She said smartly, Lance snorting as Laura turned her head and raised it slightly, parting her mouth slightly. Lance lowered his head and pressed his muzzle to hers, Laura feeling some sense of pride at how well he'd gotten over the past few days. He had a natural talent, sure, but talent was only so much without something to direct it. Laura's jaws parted a bit more and Lance wasted no time in using that to his advantage.

Something Laura had figured out two nights previous was that Lance, when stressed, was _extremely_ dominant and preferred to control as much as he could during their moments of intimacy. Just another quirk about him that she liked.

She was still adamant that she was simply intrigued by the Todd, though she was beginning to suspect that Silvano suspected otherwise. Hell, _she_ was beginning to suspect otherwise.

"You know, while I'd like nothing more than to just these bloody clothes to pieces and go at it, something tells me that wouldn't be appreciated." Lance remarked, a low growl building up in his throat.

"Yeah? You finally noticed?" Laura asked, Lance chuckling.

"No, I knew. It's a bit hard to miss the fact we're in full view of dozens of mammals who, if my peripheral vision is correct..." Lance trailed off as he slowly raised his head. "Aren't minding their own bloody business!" He snapped, Laura blinking at the venom in his voice. The mammals around them all went back to whatever they had been doing.

"Well, that works." Laura remarked, Lance chuckling as he removed himself from her. He shuffled around until he was sitting next to Laura, the Vixen leaning into him with a smile on her muzzle. Lance smiled as well, a soft hum escaping him. Currently they sat in the middle of a small park, just enjoying the outside. It had been Laura's idea, something that had noticeably surprised Lance when she'd brought it up.

Laura started suddenly, leaning away from Lance with a grunt. Lance glanced at her in surprise, not expecting the action.

"Something wrong?" He asked, Laura shaking her head.

"Nah, sorry. I nodded off." She answered, Lance chuckling. He turned his head back straight, a soft smile on his muzzle as Laura leaned against him again. He ignored the sense that Laura hadn't told him the whole truth, knowing it was a stupid notion that was brought on by festering doubt from Nick. He was surprised Nick had rattled him enough to leave doubts like he had been experiencing, but then again he always had been a wary mammal.

Laura's expression was somber as she leaned against Lance, feeling guilt overcome her as the realization of how much the Todd would hurt when her mission was complete. For the oddest reason, the idea of hurting him like that...made her uncomfortable. Almost like eating bad food, but not quite as likely to kill her.

Or at least, she hoped so.

With a soft sigh, Laura closed her eyes and decided to let sleep take her once more. It felt odd to let her guard down like this outside of when they mated, seeing as to how she'd long ago learned what could happen if you trusted someboy too much.

She still felt the Leopard's barbs, on occasion.

As sleep encroached on her slowly, Laura reached up and wrapped her arms around Lance's arm.

Lance blinked when he felt Laura wrap her arms around his, glancing down at the Vixen. He smiled softly when he saw she was asleep, or at least appeared to be. He glanced up briefly to see a mother Wolf glaring at him, apparently having witnessed his and Laura's short lived makeout session, with a mixture of annoyance at how brazen they had been and amusement, apparently coming to the conclusion they had only recently gotten together and were still riding that high. In a way it was true, though it had actually worn off fairly quickly. Didn't stop them from getting amorous when they wanted, though.

After a few minutes, Lance sighed and slowly leaned back, looking up at the clouds as Laura came down with him. She was still on him, though now she was laying down with her upper chest laying on top of him at an angle. Lance smiled and closed his eyes, making sure to turn himself onto his right side so as to avoid any awkward scenarios during his short break into unconsciousness. Laura cuddeled against him, a soft hum of happiness escaping her as she burried her head into the crook of his neck.

Lance slowly opened his eyes, eyelids acting as though he had giant weights attached to them. He felt warmth against his check and smiled, knowing Laura was still asleep. He glanced to his left to look at the sky, then blinked when he saw that the sun appeared to be setting. Had they really been asleep that long? Jesus.

Lance slowly sat up, Laura whining in her sleep. He lightly tapped her shoulder, then shook her gently when that didn't work. When that still didn't work, he grinned and lowered his head, nibbling on her ear lightly and drawing a tired groan of pleasure from her. He glanced around, then lowered his head further and lightly nipped at her neck, subconsciously moving until her was hovering over her.

Laura's eyes fluttered open to a rather wonderful wake up call, feeling a smile split her muzzle as Lance nipped and nibbled at her neck. She noticed the way he was positioned and raised her legs quickly, wrapping them around his middle. He growled low in his throat and began to lightly buck his hips, feeling a strong surge of need override his sense of awareness. He raised his head and pressed his muzzle to Laura's. Soft groans, moans, and grunts sounded from both of them as he dry humped her, slowly rising in volume until-

Both froze as a bright light washed over them, their eyes snapping open in shock at the sound of somebody clearing their throat. They turned their head, narrowing their eyes against the bright light. The beam shifted away from them slightly.

"Excuse me, I'm gonna have to ask you to leave. The park's about to close, for one, and also because I don't want to bring you in for public indecency. My shift just started, and I don't want to have to do more than what I have to." The mammal – Lance saw the uniform that showed they were a guard of the park during the night – said, annoyance at finding them obvious. Lance raised himself to a stand awkwardly as Laura's legs fell to the ground.

"Right. Apologies, sir. I was trying to wake her up and got a bit carried away." He said, the mammal grunting.

"I don't care. Just get out before I have to call the cops on you." The Zebra ordered, Lance and Laura nodding. "I should probably escort you to the gate."

"That won't be necessary, sir. We can see just fine, and I assure you we'll leave. Wouldn't want to extend your rounds more than necessary, after all, seeing as how difficult your job already is." Laura said, the Zebra narrowing his eyes at her sarcastic and derisive tone, then snorting.

"Fine. You better hope I don't catch you trying to stay for a quick rut." He said, jabbing his hoof at them.

"We're Canids, sir. There's no such thing as a 'quick rut' for us." Laura remarked even as she turned and began walking towards where the gate was. "C'mon, Lance, let's get home and continue our session somewhere we won't be bothered." Lance turned and followed Laura, though he was uncomfortable with how openly derisive and mocking she was of the Zebra. He was only doing his job, and he seemed to be climbing the ladder of age, so he likely ached having to walk as much as he probably did. They were about halfway home, Laura blabbering away about something Lance, for once, wasn't paying too much attention to. His mind was still on her tone with the guard at the park. "So anyway, after that, I said-"

"Did you have to be so rude to the Zebra, Laura?" Lance suddenly asked, turning his head to look at the Vixen. She looked startled by the question, as if she had never expected to hear it.

"Well, no, I suppose not." She conceded with an embarrassed hunching of her shoulders. "You know I just get snippy when we get interrupted. It just kinda came out, and I couldn't stop it when it did."

"Yeah, you're right. I didn't mean to be rude about asking. It just kinda surpised me." Lance admitted, Laura chuckling as she lightly punched him in the arm.

"Hey, I don't blame you. I try to be respectful to others, really, but we were getting there and I was already kinda close, so..." Laura trailed off, though it was obvious what she meant.

"Well, don't worry, I promise we'll finish what we started when we get home." Lance said, Laura grinning.

"I'll hold you to that, Lance. You better make it good." She said, Lance's lips splitting apart as a chuckle slowly rose from his throat. Laura felt brief alarm at how... _menacing_ it sounded, at least until Lance seemed to realize how it sounded and cleared his throat.

"Sorry. That happens from time to time. Wasn't supposed to be that scary." He apologized, Laura chuckling.

"Understandable." She remarked, Lance glancing at her expectantly. Laura rolled her eyes. "Have a nice day."

"There it is." Lance said, Laura shaking her head. Lance suddenly turned slightly, arm extended towards her and digit pointing. "Hello, food?"

"Lance, please no."

"Hello, food?"

"Lance stop."

"Hello, food?"

"Oh my god, fine. Food machine broke."

"Understandable, have a nice day."

"I hate you."

"Really? _Knot_ what you were saying just last night." It took Laura a moment to realize the pun that had been uttered.

"Oh god. I should not have conceded to completing that stupid joke. Now you're never gonna stop." She muttered, sighing and shaking her head for a long moment. After a moment, she began to chuckle. Not too long after that it evolved into a full on laugh that had Lance staring at her in surprise.

"Uh, Laura? You okay?" He asked worriedly, clearly thinking she had officially lost it. Laura laughed for a few moments longer before she managed to get it under control, wiping at her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry Lance, just realized something funny." She apologized, Lance tilting his head.

"What's that?" He asked, Laura opening her mouth to answer, then pausing. She supposed she couldn't hide from it any longer. It was time to admit she had fallen for him, and she had fallen hard. She was officially, stupidly, hopelessly in love. And she would do everything in her power to keep it that way; she didn't care if she had to continue lying to him, she would make sure he never found out about her profession until long after she was done with it.

"Oh, you know. I just realized that I'm actually in love with you." At Lance's alarmed expression, she held up a paw. "I was before, yes. I think, though, that I was just scared that I'd wind up either hurting you or getting hurt by you. You see, I...wasn't entirely truthful when I said I was new to relationships. I was in one before, it just...ended absolutely horribly, and I didn't want to tell you about it because I just wanted some kind of fresh start. I wanted to feel like you were my first relationship, and I feel absolutely terrible about lying to you like that. It was an Inter relationship, too, so I didn't know how you felt about that. My first mate was a Cougar, and he had some interesting...well, interests. He was into that whole rape-play thing; you know, where the male pretends to be a burglar or something and forces the female to do what they want. Turns out, he was into a bit more than just the 'play' aspect of it. Our relationship ended when he ended up doing it for real, and I have never looked back on him before. I don't know if he got off on being in control, and that was just how it manifested, or if there was something else behind it." Laura paused as her breathing became rattled, finding it a lot more difficult to get the information out that she expected.

"Oh, god, Laura-" the Vixen held up a paw, indicating him to stop.

"You know the worst part about it, Lance? I ended up getting sick not too soon after we split. I thought the bastard had gotten me pregnant or something. Turns out, his spines ended up cutting too deep and I got an infection. Even after we split up, the piece of crap still managed to fu-" Lance cut Laura off by pulling her into his arms and into a deep, passionate, and loving kiss. Laura froze, unsure how to react to Lance's sudden display of affection. When they pulled apart Lance looked abut ready to cry.

"Laura, I swear to god I am not going to hurt you. Not like that. _Never_ like that. What he did was messed up, and I swear to any god that may exist and is willing to listen that if I was not a cop I would find him and give him a piece of my mind, and it would _not. Be. Pretty._ " Lance said, a growl of anger resonating from deep within him. Laura stared at him in shock, having expected some kind of reaction, but not Lance admitting he would straight up _murder_ somebody if he found them. It was both absolutely terrifying to hear from such a normally friendly Todd and...strangely arousing, hearing he'd be willing to go that far for her. Of all the things to get to her, it couldn't just be teeth, could it? She had to love the mammals that would say they'd kill for her and mean it, didn't she?

Of course she did. That meant they would likely also die for her, and that was the highest form of affection one could muster. If you were willing to die for your mate, it meant you valued them with all of your being, and there was something to love about that.

"I love you." Laura said, and it felt good to actually mean it this time. She pulled Lance into another kiss, slyly guiding him back a few pawsteps and suddenly turning, attempting to pin him to the wall. She was much shorter than him, sure, but she knew she could still do it. Lance surprised her, however, when he used the momentum of her sudden turn to continue the turn and end up pinning her to the wall.

"You think I wouldn't notice the fact you manuevered us into an alley?" He asked, Laura opening her mouth. Lance grinned. "I love you, you sly Vixen." He said quietly, pressing his muzzle to hers again, and much more roughly than before. Laura arched her back slightly as she raised her legs, wrapping them around Lance's waist. She groaned against him as Lance raised his head and nibbled her ear, pausing and glancing to the left. Laura followed his gaze and saw a crate, then arched an eyebrow.

"Something tells me we might not make it home." Laura remarked, Lance grinning.

"Well, if you don't mind." He prodded, Laura chuckling.

"I could care less, long as we don't get caught." She answered, the Todd nodding. He made sure she was secure before stepping away from the wall.

"Probably won't be very intense, if you don't want to get caught." Lance said, laying her down on the crate.

"Long as it's with you, that's more than okay." Laura said as she pulled him down and into a kiss. Lance groaned against her as Laura arched her back, paws working at her belt. Of all the days to decide to wear the belted pants, of course it had to be today. Lance didn't have that issue, since he wore sweatpants, so he was ready before her.

Lance didn't quite get to it right away, though, which slightly irritated her. He stared down at her, love in his eyes and expression soft, and it took Laura a moment to realize he was simply admiring her. Even mostly clothed and in an alley, Lance took the time to make sure he took as much of it in as he could. Laura raised her head up and pressed her muzzle to his softly, Lance leaning down to make it slightly easier.

"Love you." Lance mumbled around the kiss.

"Love you too." Laura said as Lance slowly shifted forward.

Lance sat in his chair inside his office at Precinct One, hind paws up on his desk and a paper resting on top of his head to block some of the light. It wasn't very effective, obviously, since it was paper, but it worked somewhat.

He pretended to be asleep as the door opened and somebody walked in, knowing it was likely Nick back from whatever he was doing. A silent sniff of the air told him that he'd been in the bathroom. He also detected a faint whiff of Musk Mask, but he didn't really question that. In an emergency it could function as a pretty decent scent blocker for things other than musk.

"So, you bring that thing up to Laura yet?" Nick asked, obviously knowing he was awake, and Lance sighed.

"I never agreed to do that. You are aware of this." He answered, Nick sighing.

"Lance, I just want to stop you from being hurt, okay? That's it. I know what I heard that day, and I'm scared about how you might react. I know you woudn't punch anybody, probably, but you don't only react physically. Even if that is your favorite." Lance winced at that, knowing he was talking about a particularly foul mouthed Deer they'd arrested earlier that week.

"Okay, first of all, I really did trip. I may hold grudges like no one else, but I'm not gonna risk my job for something like that." Lance retorted, shaking his head. "Seriosly, _you_ try guiding a Deer who doesn't want to be guided up slippery stairs, tell me how that goes."

"Judging by the bruises both you and him were sporting, I think I'd rather not." Nick remarked, drawing a snort from Lance. "In all honesty, though, I don't want you to think I'm seriously trying to derail your happiness. I just want you to be in a relationship that won't end in heartbreak." Lance felt his lip twitch.

"Nick..." He growled warningly, the older Todd sighing.

"I'm just saying, Lance. Trust me, I want you and Laura to work just as much as you do, I just can't shake the feeling that there's more to her than she lets on." Lance let out a growl and stood, chair nearly falling over. Nick turned, surprise on his muzzle.

"Ring. Now." Lance growled out, Nick opening his muzzle to say something when Lance held up a paw. "I win, you drop this stupid nonsense about her. You win, I'll investigate personally." Nick sighed, then nodded.

"Alright, something tells me I'm not wrong." Nick said, Lance turning and walking out of the room with Nick right behind him. He ignored the fact that the path was more or less blocked by other officers chatting, easily moving among them.

Lance stepped into the gym with a nuetral expression, though slightly touched by anger. He stepped into the sparring ring and walked to the other side, turning. He saw Wolford and Nadine, who had been talking about something when he'd come in, watching in curiosity. Nick stepped into the other side and they turned completely excitement beginning to appear in their expressions.

"I'll try not to hurt you." Lance remarked, Nick scoffing.

"Lance, I've known you for years. You're not _that_ good in a fight." He said, Lance narrowing his eyes.

"You don't know a thing about me, Nick." Lance rebuked, the older Todd blinking.

 _'Not the real me, anyway.'_ Lance banished the thought as soon as it appeared, despite wanting to add it.

"I'm pretty sure I know a lot about you."

"No, you don't. You don't pay enough attention to notice." With that, Lance began his approach. Nick sighed in obvious confusion, but raised his paws in a defensive stance.

Nick threw the first swing, Lance blocking it easily and sending it glancing off to the side. He threw his knee into Nick's gut, the older Todd gasping as the air was driven from his lungs. He fell to the floor clutching his stomach as Lance backed away a few steps.

"Whoa." Wolfard commented, Nadine exchanging a glance with him. She nodded and jogged out to spread the word.

"You won't win this, Nick. You've put yourself into a corner, and there's no escape." Lance said as Nick stood, a small twitch of his lips indicating he was feeling anger. Lance couldn't be sure if it was at his words and how sure he was of them, or because of how easily Lance had taken him down the first time.

"I can try, though." Nick said as he rushed Lance, throwing another swing at his muzzle that Lance blocked. He wrapped his arm around Nick's arm before he could pull it back, turning and throwing a harsh kick into the Todd's side that knocked him off his paws and allowed Lance to fling him to the ground.

Nick raised himself with a growl, lips peeling back slightly.

"Just concede. I don't wish to harm you." Lance said, his voice scarily cold and detatched as he stared at Nick.

"I've seen you fight. You won't hurt me too much, even if you tried." Nick said, Lance feeling a spark inside him at the words. It was like the words brought out what he wanted to avoid, as if it detected a challenge that it would not leave unanswered.

"No, Nick. You haven't seen me fight before. You've seen me minimalize my output as much as possible, not actually fight." Nick didn't respond, instead taking a step forward and swinging. Lance went to block it, his eyes widening in surprise when Nick's paw stopped suddenly and his stomach took an impact. Lance doubled over as he let out ragged breaths, Nick taking a step back and bouncing on his paws.

"They're actually trying to hurt each other..." Wolford muttered under his breath, amazement in his voice that what had once been two of the platonically closest partners had changed to whatever they were now so suddenly.

The doors silently opened and a few officers walked in to watch the sparring match, their eyes wide in amazement. Nadine shuffled over to Wolford, leaning down slightly.

"What'd I miss?" She asked, the Wolf glancing at her.

"Lance sent Nick to the floor again. Took a hit right before you got back." He said quietly, the Tigress nodding. "They're not sparring, either. They're actively trying to harm one another." The Tigress looked surprised by this, but didn't comment on it.

Nick shuffled forward and sent another jab at Lance, the Todd blocking it with his forearm. He grunted as pain radiated from the limb, knowing that Nick could possibly break a bone in it if he wanted to. He allowed his forearm to travel backwards to migitate the damage, using that to turn and get behind Nick. He wrapped his arms around his shoulders and lifted, turning and throwing Nick away.

Nick placed a paw on the ground and slid to a stop, the acrobatic manuever surprising Lance as Nick came up on his hind paws. Sure, he knew Nick was flexible, but he didn't realize he was _that_ flexible, nor that he knew how to do such a move.

Lance didn't let Nick recover, however, and stepped forward. Nick blocked his first jab, but his raised forearm blinded him to the hook the Lance threw until it was too late. Nick turned with the hit, his arm coming up and slamming into the side of Lance's head.

Lance turned and dropped to a knee, onepaw supporting him on the ground as the other clutched his head, He shook it to clear it, then stood and turned back around. His legs were shaking as he raised his arms in a defensive posture, however, something Nick took note of.

 _'He's weakened from the hit. I got this.'_ Nick felt a smirk cross his muzzle as he rushed Lance, the Todd reacting much slower than before. He took a hit to the chest and another to the muzzle, sending him back and to a knee clutching his chest.

 _'Nick's better than I give him credit for. I can't lose, though. I have to win.'_ Lance felt another tug inside him, indicating he was close to losing himself. He growled quietly in annoyance and fear. He could _not_ lose it.

Nick approached Lance with a faint smirk, leaning over slightly.

"Well Lance, seems I've won. Have fun on your investigation." As Nick drew his paw back to deliver a harsh jab, Lance's eyes shot open as the words processed. His mind kicked into overdrive as a snarl of defiance ripped form his throat, and he felt himself slipping, and quickly.

A tearing sound filled the gym, blood splashing through the air and staining the white mag of the sparring ring. Lance stared into Nick's eyes as the older Todd let out a quiet, almost imperceptable gurgle. He collapsed, blood slowly pooling from under him from where Lance's claws had torn open his throat. Lance stared at the body with a small grin of manic glee, slowly bringing his paw and towards his muzzle. His tongue extended to lick the blood from his claws.

Lance let out a gasp as he shook his head, his other leg giving out and sending Lance to the ground right as Nick's paw came forward. It misses by an inch, at least, and Lance reached up, clutching his head as his frame began to shake and horrified sobs escaped him.

Everyone stared in shock at Lance, shocked as he seemed to suddenly freak out over nothing. Nick could only watch as Lance stared at the mat and continued to sob, the older Todd the most shocked out of the entire group of mammals in the room. He'd known Lance a long time, and he'd never seen him have what seemed close to a full blown panic attack over _anything_ , let alone what appeared to be nothing.

Unless...it couldn't be Nick's words that had caused it, could it?

 _He...is he actually that attatched to Laura the mere thought of losing her does this to him? I know Foxes can get depressed when they lose their mate, but I've never heard of one having a panic attack at the simple idea of losing their mate before.'_ Nick took a deep breath as he slowly squatted down.

"Lance? Hey, buddy, you okay?" Lance locked up and suddenly went silent as Nick layed a paw on his shoulder, slowly raising his gaze. He visibly recovered slightly when he saw Nick, surprising everybody present when he pulled the Todd into a hug. "Uh, Lance, what're you doing?"

"I...I'll explain later. Just...oh god, Nick, I almost..." Nick froze as understanding washed over him. Lance had told him when they'd first partnered up that when he got into fights and he got worked up, sometimes his imagination kicked in in order to vent or something. Nick had completely forgotten about the exchange, but now that he did...

"Hey, Lance, it's okay. Everything's fine, nobody got hurt, it's okay buddy. I promise." Nick said, eyes locking onto the questioning gazes of the watching officers. He glanced towards the doors pointedly, Wolford and Fangmeyer the first to catch on. They began to whisper to the others, and the group began to leave after a few seconds. "Hey, Lance, we're alone. Just tell me what happened in there, please." Nick tapped Lance on the head lightly, Lance taking a deep breath as he slowly sat back.

"I just...god, it's horrible. I just...I can't. I'm sorry, Nick, but I can't. I just need some time alone." Nick nodded in understanding, standing with a quiet sigh.

"I don't want you to tell me if you find it uncomfortable. If you think it's better to just forget about it, then forget about it." He said, exiting the sparring ring and walking towards the door. Lance waited for a long moment before he sighed to himself.

"Yeah. Perhaps it's for the best." He said quietly, raising his head towards the ceiling and taking a deep breath.

There was no way he'd be able to tell Nick about what he'd imagined. He'd be terrified, and would likely want nothing to do with him after that. Lance knew that was probably what he'd do, if he was in Nick's paws and suddenly found out his partner had more or less fantasized about killing him, even if only once in a heat of the moment type deal.

With a sigh, Lance stood and turned, exiting the sparring ring and making his way back to his and Nick's office.

Lance sat on the couch in his and Laura's apartment, staring at a folder with a couple of pictures of crime scenes they believed to be connected to the Big family's mafia. He nibbled on a digit lightly, the sound of pawsteps approaching him from behind reaching his ears. He turned his head sligtly as they paused, seeing Laura looking at the pictures in curiosity.

"What's that about?" She asked, gesturing towards the pictures with a paw. She kept her other paw hidden, though Lance didn't really take the time to think about why. Probably not important.

"Ah, just a case we're working on. You know the Big family, right?" Lance asked, Laura scoffing as she leaned against the couch.

"Anybody who's lived in Tundra Town for any amount of time knows about them. Amazed the police haven't found anything on them, depsite common knowledge that they have some ties to the criminal underworld." Laura remarked, staring at the pictures. Lance heard her place something in her vest, but he ignored it. He had more important things to worry about, and it was probably her phone anyway.

"Well, we're getting close. These crime scenes are all considered mafia hits of some kind. I'm just trying to see if there are any clues." Lance shook his head in annoyance. "So far all we know about 'em is that they like using a mammal to collect profiles on various mammals. Somebody everyone we've asked calls the 'Seductress' for their ability to get anything from anyone through faking relationships. They've not killed any of their marks, which makes it difficult to really nail 'em down and arrest them, since they've technically not done anything wrong-"

"Seems to me like you haven't been looking at these pictures too hard. There's a small clump of Polar Bear fur in the far right corner, lower third row, fifth space if you grid the picture into square inch sectors. It's small and easy to miss, if you aren't looking for it." Laura suddenly said, interrupting Lance. He blinked and turned back to the photo, looking at where she pointed as he did so. He lifted the photo, then grinned. He turned and placed a quick kiss on Laura's muzzle.

"You've got some good eyes, Laura. I gotta go, Nick and the Chief need to know about this, and now." Lance said as he turned back around and closed the folder, picking it up.

"Lance, wait-"

"I'm sorry Laura, this is extremely important. Can it wait?" Lance asked, turning to look at her. Laura hesitated, then sighed.

"Yeah, it can wait. I'll tell you when you get home." She said, Lance nodding his head in thanks and turning, running out the door. Laura turned and made to walk into the bedroom to rest when something beeped. She pulled the object she had placed in her vest out, tilting her head. She groaned. "Aw, hell."

Laura stepped into Silvano Big's office, having called him and asked for a meeting. The Shrew was waiting for her, as expected, and she placed her paws behind the small of her back.

"Laura, it is good to see you. You said me you had good news?" Silvano said, Laura nodding.

"I've finally gotten the information you requested, sir." She said, taking a deep breath. She began to tell him all that she had been told the ZPD had on the mafia by Lance, a strange feeling of betrayel tugging at her the entire time. When she finished, Silvano looked considerate.

"Very well. You know what to do now that your mission is complete." The Shrew said, waving his paw.

"Sir, with all due respect, I think-" Laura's eyes widened as something fell to the floor below her, her hind paw quickly moving to cover it.

"What was that?" Silvano asked, the two Polar Bears behind Laura stepping closer threatingly. Laura hesitated, then slowly moved her hind paw and allowed Raymond to pick the object up. He approached Silvano's desk and set it down, the Shrew looking at it for a long moment. Sharp intakes of breath came from the collected Polar Bears.

"Sir, I-"

"Laura." The Vixen shut her mouth at the Shrew's tone, knowing full well that he was not happy with what he was seeing. "Laura, please tell me my old eyes are lying to me. Tell me you did not allow that cop to get you pregnant."

 **And that does it for Chapter 3 of Whetstone: Mafia! I hope you guys enjoyed it, and I hope you enjoyed the cliffhanger. I set it up a bit last Chapter, though I left it a bit vague as to what came of it until now. So yes, Laura is preggers. I apologize if the cliffhanger seems to seem threatening, but it always could end that way. I know how it ends, as I have the rest of the story after next Chapter done, but I won't spoil anything. Things get intense next Chapter, as there will be a lot of reveals on both sides. The only question that remains is...will they be enough? Anyway, this is getting long enough, I'll see you guys...next update. Word Count: 6,269**


	4. Reveals

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 4 of Whetstone: Mafia! I hope you guys like this Chapter, because I will be uploading Chapter 5 and the Epilogue alongside this Chapter, since I already had them done. This Chapter wil likely be a bit shorter than average, so as to keep it from dragging along. Plus there's not much space to manuever, timeline speaking, since Chapter 5 takes place immediately after this one, and this one takes place immediately after the last one, all within the same day. I hope I did this story justice to your expectations, because it's been a ride for me to write it just as much as it was for you to read it. It's been my first story dedicated solely to romance, and I think I did decently. Tell me what you think, as I can only improve if you guys tell me what I did good and what I did wrong. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

"Sir, I-"

"Laura." The Vixen shut her mouth at Silvano Big's tone, knowing full well he was _not_ happy with what he was seeing. "Laura, please tell me my old eyes are deceiving me. Tell me you did not allow that cop to get you pregnant." Laura lowered her head slightly, feeling like a kit caught trying to take a cookie from the jar once more. She knew full well what that felt like, seeing as it happened all the time when she was little.

"Sir, I can't lie to you any longer." Laura said, Silvano's comically large eyebrows lifting up slightly at the words.

"The fact that you have been at all is alarming to me, Laura." He commented, the Vixen hunching her shoulders slightly in shame.

"Sir, it has not been easy on me to do it, I assure you. You've done nothing but do right by me, and I have tried to do the same for you. And I have, these last few years that I've been employed to you. In only five years I went from a lonely Vixen with no job and no possible future to one of the best Enforcers in the entire underworld, all under your guidance. You've done more than me in the past five years than my parents could in the eighteen or so years they raised me, despite their best efforts. You've been like a father to me, and I have nothing but the utmost respect for you. To lie to you like I have has hurt me just as much, if not more than, it did you." Laura said, Silvano remaining silent for a long moment before he grunted.

"Continue." He said, Laura dipping her head.

"I have not been entirely honest with you in regard to my feelings. Only recently have I come to realize that, and it hurt to realize I have been unintentionally lying to you. I realized that I do love Lance, and I think he is genuinely good for me. But I can not keep both him and my job, which is why I have to tell you that I wish to sever my ties." There was shocked silence for a long moment until Raymond took a step forward.

"Forgive me for stepping and speaking out of turn, sir, but I have something to say." He said, Silvano waving to indicate he could speak. "Laura, have you thought this decision through? I mean _really_ thought it through?" He asked, Laura nodding.

"I have, Raymond, and I know the consequences of my decision. I made this decision on my trip here. I wish to stay with the Todd I love." She turned back to Silvano. "I understand if you decide to not allow me this decision, sir. I knew the risks when I decided to tell you."

"I am disappointed, Laura. I do not know how I cannot be. But I know that you did not decide to fall in love, and I cannot in good faith hold that against you. I just have one last thing for you to do." Laura braced herself for the coming words, and was not disappointed. "Say hello to-"

"Oh daaaa~dy!" Laura and Silvano both turned their heads to see Boris walk in with Fru Fru in his paws, the Polar Bear pausing when he saw Laura's expression. Fru Fru seemed to notice it too. "What's going on? Laura?"

"Laura has made a decision, baby. She has to pay the price, just like everybody else." Silvano said, Fru Fru staring at Laura in shock.

"What was the decision?" She asked nervously, Silvano sighing.

"Laura has decided she wants to sever all ties with us without discussing the matter." Fru Fru just looked even more confused at Silvano's answer.

"But how is that worth icing her over? She's been nothing but loyal to you since she joined, and you want to kill her because she's found something worth leaving over? I won't allow it!" Everyone stared in shock at the female Shrew, all of them too shocked to speak for several moments.

"Fru-"

"No, Laura. You're my friend, and this isn't fair to you." Laura was taken aback by how fiercely Fru Fru was defending her, even considering the fact they were close friends. "Daddy, would you ice Judy if she came to arrest us, since that is her job? She wouldn't like it, but that's her duty, and we both know she would take no satisfaction in it. How is Laura any different? You only know enough about Judy to consider her an ally, but you've known Laura for a lot longer than her! How is icing her for something she has no control over fair for all that she's done for you?" Silvano remained silent for a long moment, then sighed.

"Very well. I will allow this departure. But I want no further contact from you, do you understand me?" Laura nodded her head.

"I understand, sir. Thank you." Laura turned and made to walk out.

"Oh, Laura, one last thing!"

"Baby-"

"No, daddy. You're being unfair. Laura?" The Vixen turned enough to put Fru Fru in her line of sight.

"Yes, Fru Fru?" Laura asked, the Shrew glancing at her father.

"Send me pictures." She said, glancing at the object on Silvano's desk. Laura glanced at Silvano, then nodded her head.

"I'll see what I can do." She said, smiling slightly before turning and walking out.

Silvano sighed as he glanced at his daughter, the younger Shrew staring at him unflinchingly.

"Sometimes I think you know more about mercy than I do, baby." He said softly. "Thank you."

"I know the difference between a move made in anger and a move thought out. You were upset, I understand that, but that doesn't mean you had to kill her. I think she did the right thing, honestly. She may not admit it, or even consider it, but she's not cut out for the type of stuff she did before, not after Wade. Lance gave her a way out, and she took it." With that, Fru Fru turned and hopped back into Boris' paws, the Polar Bear glancing at Silvano. The Shrew waved him off, Boris turning and walking out of the room.

Laura sighed as she walked, feeling like a massive weight had been removed from her shoulders now that she was out. She knew she had gotten lucky with the arrival of Fru Fru, and she would not squander the chance the young Shrew had given her. She was going to tell Lance about her former occupation when she got home. There was no other option. If she wanted a shot at living a good life in the future, he would have to know. There was no way around it.

Lance would be upset, and she would have her work cut out for her convincing him she really did love him, yes, but she had faith she could at least mitigate his anger a bit. It was an underhanded move, but she would use it if she had to. She wasn't proud of that fact, but then again she wasn't proud of a lot of things.

Silvano had the information he had wanted, Laura had something to remember Lance by if things went wrong with her confession, and overall everyone that played into the events got what they wanted.

Well, hopefully, anyway.

Laura reached into her pocket to check the time with her phone, pulling it free and blinking in surprise at the time it displayed. Had she really been at Big's for so long? Jesus Christ, Lance was already off!

Laura pocketed her phone quickly, breaking out into a fast jog. She had to get home quickly. She doubted Lance would do anything, but she wanted to be better safe than sorry. The Todd was unpredictable, and who knew what his partner may have filled his head with.

Lance knocked on the door to Chief Bogo's office, not having to wait long before he was told to enter. He opened the door and stepped inside, and Bogo was clearly taken aback by the excitement on his expression.

"Sir, I have good news. I was looking over the photos on the crime scenes, and I noticed something. There's a small clump of Polar Bear fur in the far right corner, lower third row, fifth space if you grid the picture into square inch sectors. It's small and easy to miss, if you aren't looking for it." Lance said as he opened the folder in his paws, turning it around to face Bogo and pointing to the indicated area. Bogo looked impressed, something that was immensely difficult to pull off with him.

"Well, Officer Whitney, I see your eyes are as sharp as your partner's wit. I'll have a few CSI oficers go and collect the fur, and we'll run an analysis on it, see if we can get identification." Bogo said, Lance smiling faintly at the praise.

"Thank you, sir. Though, truthfully, I can't take all the credit. I was looking the photos over at home, since today was my day off and all, and Laura told me that the common knowledge in Tundra Town is that the mafia there is primarily Polar Bears. Once I knew what to look for, it was easy to find." Lance said, Bogo arching an eyebrow.

"You allowed a civilian to view evidence on an ongoing investigation?" He asked, Lance blinking.

"Uh, no sir, I did not. I asked her if she knew anything about the mafia from her time living in Tundra Town, but I made no mention of an investigation. As far as she knows, I was simply curious about a subject and sought her out as an outlet of possible information on the matter." Lance lied, the easiness of the lie startling him. He made no outward appearance changes, however, and Bogo eventually sighed.

"Very well. At least you tried to make sure it seemed like an innocent and random question." He said, Lance chuckling.

"Random is something I do best, sir. Ask Nick sometime, he can tell you all sorts of things about the stuff I sometimes spout. Or, if you want to hear it yourself, there's plenty of sound footage from the dashcam in mine and Nick's cruiser. I'm sure Clawhauser would be willing to give it to you." He paused. "The footage, that is."

"While I appreciate the fact you wanted to make sure you weren't implying anything, I knew what you meant. I might decide to do that, though. Anything you want to warn me about?" Bogo asked, Lance shrugging.

"Well, I gave Nick nightmares once when I asked if it was normal to think about what it would feel like to have a buzzsaw or chainsaw cut through you." He answered, Bogo blinking. "Yeah, that was more or less Nick's physical reaction. I believe his verbal was a lot more disturbed, though."

"Why did you wonder what that would feel like?" Bogo asked after a moment, Lance shrugging. He grunted in confusion. "Well, I suppose it would be something to do if I have the time. Clawhauser's probably watched it. He always does that."

"If he has, he has a stronger psyche than others give him credit for, I'll tell ya that much." Lance remarked, chuckling lightly. "Well, if it's alright with you sir, I think I should get back home. Laura had something she wanted to tell me, but I knew I'd probably get distracted and forget to bring you this so I told her it would have to wait. Probably not the best idea, I'll admit." Bogo waved absentmindedly.

"Go on ahead. I'll let you know what we find." The Bovine said, Lance dipping his head and turning, walking out of the room humming quietly to himself. Bogo reached out and keyed his intercom after a moment. "Clawhauser, can you get a few CSI officers to check out the restaurant crime scene once more? Tell them to check by the flowerpot to the left of the door." He paused. "And when you're done, I think I'm going to review Officer Whitney and Officer Wilde's dashcam footage. Specifically, their conversations when they're on watch."

"Right away, sir. Shall I make you some popcorn as well?" Clawhauser asked, Bogo huffing.

"No, I think I'll be okay. I appreciate it, though." He answered, silence following for a long moment.

"Alright, I've sent Clawdette and Michelle to check once more. I'll get the footage in a few, don't worry. Just gotta find the right clips." Clawhauser suddenly said, Bogo chuckling.

"Appreciate it, Clawhauser."

Lance stepped into his and Laura's apartment with an irritated sigh, having been accosted by a few mammals asking for money, claiming to want something to eat. He could clearly see the needle marks, and was half tempted to arrest them even though he doubted that a few marks were enough evidence.

Removing his shirt casually as he approached the bedroom, he ignored the empty couch despite finding it slightly odd. He'd gotten a lot more comfortable being without at least a shirt and pants or shorts on since he and Laura had become mates.

Lance pulled his shirt off and turned to throw it into the dirty clothes basket, pausing when something caught his eye poking from under the bed. He squatted down and picked it up, tilting his head at the paw held taser. It was matte black, curved slightly and with two prongs on the end. He clicked it and jumped when the electricity reached out and touched his nose. He yelped in pain, clutching his nose as he dropped the taser.

After a moment, Lance reached down and picked it back up, blinking as he did so when he felt an engraving on the other side. He flipped it over, staring at the very fancy B on the side of the taser. After a moment of thought his eyes widened in shock, a rattled gasp escaping him.

 _'No. No, no, no!'_ His grip on the taser tightened as his lips peeled back, teeth pressing together almost painfully hard. He took a deep breath, trying to rationalize the letter. _'Maybe it's not that. Maybe her father's first name started with that letter, and it belonged to him. Yeah, that has to be it.'_ Despite the possibility that that was true, he still felt horror settle into his gut. He set the taser down on the floor and looked under the bed, eyes resting on a small, black, and padded stick. He pulled it free and blinked when he saw the tip of a baton sticking out.

Tilting it away from him, Lance pressed a button on that side with another fancy B, the baton extending with a loud _click!_ that startled him. It crackled slightly.

"Jesus, even the baton is electrified. This is impressive tech." Lance muttered to himself. Electrified and collapsible batons were rare and difficult to make, especially the ones with electric sides instead of prongs. Expensive, too.

Despite the rather obvious and stacking evidence, Lance held out hope that there was a perfectly reasonable explanation for the B-labeled equipment. At least, until he found the last item...

Lance felt his mind go numb as his paw landed on the familiar shape and feel of the worst kind of thing to make a good case for Laura. All five inches in length, five point three inches in height, and one point three inches in width of the forty five caliber Walther PPQ slid out from under the bed, Lance staring at it in shock. His mouth was parted slightly as he stared, almost unable to comprehend what he was seeing.

As he slowly came back to his senses, Lance pressed the magazine release and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw it was empty, setting it to the side as he raised his paw to his head. A sob escaped him as he realized that Nick had been right all along.

Laura had used him. For what, he couldn't be sure, but the mere fact that he was nothing but a pawn to her hit him like a punch in the gut from a sledgehammer going fifty miles per hour. He couldn't breath, he was so distraught. His chest seized in pain as his breathing became more difficult, and he reached out to steady himself on the floor. His arm gave out and he collapsed to the floor, feeling fear settle into his mind as he realized his emotional reaction was so strong it was harming him. He realized he might very well die, and the thought scared him more than he'd expected it to.

And then, suddenly, he blanked.

Lance let out a gasp as his breathing returned to him, taking several gulping breaths as he lay there, clutching his chest. He hesitantly sat up, breathing slowly returning to normal as he realized just what was happening. He'd reacted so strongly to the revelation that he'd forcibly shut down to save himself, and the thought that he was so emotionally attached to Laura that what he'd found had caused Acute Stress Reaction was quite scary.

It would seem his ability to emotionally shut down had finally come in handy, though, so there was always that. At least something seemed to be going in his direction lately.

Lance took a deep breath and finished getting dressed, then gathered the items up. He contemplated putting them back and pretending he'd never seen them, but Laura would notice. She was perceptive, so of course she would notice. The only thing he could do was confront her about it and hope he was mistaken in some way.

Lance sat down on the couch, putting the items on the coffee table in front of him as he rubbed his head.

Now all he could do was wait.

 **And that does it for Chapter 4 of Whetstone: Mafia! I apologize this is shorter than normal, but it felt right. Now, brief pointers, but I know Silvano's reaction seemed to be...overreacting, and perhaps it was. But Laura was amongst his best and favorite Enforcers, so there's that. As for Lance's ASR, I know that I probably didn't do it right or anything, but it actually can kill you, which is what would have happened if he didn't have his 'shutdown' ability. I know it was wrong and he probably recovered way too quickly, but I was honestly getting annoyed with trying to make it more realistic because it would disrupt the timeline and a bunch of other stuff. Also, I know Laura's comment about being Silvano's Enforcer for five years seems like it counters Laura's comment about Lance making her feel things she hasn't felt in fifteen last Chapter, but it doesn't. Laura has just been emotionally cold for that long. Now I know I said I was gonna work on Zootopian Assassins, but I still have several weeks so I'm gonna work on Blind. I need to finish that up, and I don't feel like waiting. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I'll see you guys...next update. Word Count: 3,415**


	5. Confrontations

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to Chapter 5 of Whetstone: Mafia! I hope you guys liked last Chapter and the setup I gave, because this Chapter brings in the Angst. Hard. Well hopefully, anyway, I'm still learning on that. I might try and get help from SophieWitch or somebody who writes Angst very well, and will let you guys know in the End AN. If not, I hope I can do it well enough to actually be Angst and not just a bit of sadness and light heartbreak. So far, I have two songs as themes for this story as of writing this Chapter, which is immediately after publishing Chapter 1. They are Better Days by Hollow Point Heroes and Beg For Mercy by Oceans Divide. BFM actually fits this Chapter pretty well, I think, so I'd recommend listening to it while reading this. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

Laura stared in shocked silence at Lance as the Todd stared right back in cold, quiet fury from the couch, various items she used during her job as an Enforcer on the small coffee table in front of him. His posture was that of laziness, left arm on the top of the couch and a single leg up, hind paw hanging over the edge of the magenta cushion. His tail hung limply and his eyes were dull, however, suggesting he was upset. And he was, and Laura could tell. It'd be hard not to tell.

Silence stretched for a long moment before Lance took a deep breath.

"Were you ever gonna tell me?" He asked, leaning forward and moving to a more comfortable and practical position, Laura lowering her gaze.

"I planned on it, either today or tomorrow." Laura answered quietly, hesitantly raising her gaze. "Lance, please, let me explain-"

"I don't- ...I just want to know _why me_ , Laura? You literally could have picked any other male Canid officer. Nick, James Wolford, _somebody_ else. So why me?" Lance asked, shaking his head ever so slightly in bewilderment. He was clearly and understandably upset, almost heartbroken sounding, and Laura felt her own chest tighten in a strange feeling of pain as his voice cracked ever so slightly.

"Silvano believed that you would be the easiest to get close to. I thought it would be easy, you know? It _should_ have been easy, but it wasn't." Laura said, her eyes watering slightly as she took a step closer to the Todd. He turned his head slightly, as if considering something. "Please, just let me explain."

"You used me, Laura. You lied to me. You wormed your way into my heart just to get at some stupid information that didn't even matter in the end, and you ask me to trust you?" Lance said, Laura's paw freezing in place from where it had begun to raise in begging, her digits twitching slightly. It wasn't in anger, no; that wasn't even considered as a viable option to the now crying Vixen. "Did...did you ever even love me, Laura? Or was I just another mark to you-"

"SHUT UP!" Lance blinked in shock at the screamed interruption, at a complete loss for words as Laura took a step closer. "In the beginning, yes, you were just another mark, Lance. But somehow, along the way, you did something to me that nobody else has in almost _fifteen years_. Along the way, somehow, you made my feelings _real_. You're right. I did use you, and I did lie to you, and nothing will ever change that. And I am so, _so sorry_ I did that, really. So please, Lance, let me prove to you I'm not lying to you when I say that I love you." Laura said, Lance lowering his gaze. He closed his eyes and sighed, placing his head in his paws.

"I just...I just don't understand, Laura. You say everything you feel is real, but at the same time you admit I was just an assignment in the beginning. How am I supposed to trust you when you tell me anything?" Lance said quietly, Laura opening her mouth to respond, but Lance beat her to it. "The answer, Laura, is that I can't. As much as I want to, I just can't trust anything you say. For all I know, this whole thing you're doing could be an act to convince me."

"No, Lance, please. I haven't told you a single lie, for the most part. The only lies I've told you are what I did for a living. And it's time to own up to that. As an Enforcer in the Big family's mafia, I have done many things that I'm not necessarily proud of. I haven't killed anyone; that always fell to Silvano's own personal bodyguards or the other Enforcers, but that doesn't change the fact that I've done wrong. By you, and by everybody else I've had as a mark. I don't expect forgiveness for all of it, and I know I sure as hell don't deserve it, but I'm asking anyway." Lance remained silent for a long while, his expression blank. His expression said he hadn't even heard her, but his eyes told her he was mulling it over. She supposed she should have been thankful for that, at least.

After a moment, he sighed and shook his head, apparently at a loss.

"What do you want me to do, Laura? Would it make you feel better if I arrested you? I know it sure as hell would make Nick feel better." He said, Laura's gaze dropping slightly.

"If you think it's needed, then yes. I won't fight you." She responded, Lance blinking in shock at her answer. He hadn't been expecting that.

"No." He said, shaking his head. "No, I'm sorry, but I can't do that. You may be an Enforcer, but I can't bring myself to do that."

"How do you know?" Laura asked, Lance letting out a sigh as he shook his head again. He seemed to be doing that a lot.

"Because I've thought about it, Laura. I thought about arresting you the moment you walked through that door, but I couldn't bring myself to do it without getting answers. And now...I don't know what to think." Lance answered, groaning in a way that conveyed just how lost he truly was. "I still might, though." He admitted, Laura crossing her arms in front of herself as she brought her resolve to finally tell Lance her decision to the forefront...and why she'd made that decision.

"Lance, there's something you need to know, before you make such a decision." She began, the Todd gaining a look that mixed alarm and hesitance as he nodded for her to continue. "I'm...I'm done."

"What?" Lance asked, blinking in surprise.

"I'm done. I'm not an Enforcer anymore. I quit earlier." Laura answered, Lance furrowing his brow in obvious confusion.

"Why?" He asked, not quite sure why she was telling him this, assuming she was being truthful. "Why leave a life you've been doing for a long time and are good at?"

"Because I couldn't be an Enforcer and keep you at the same time. I had to choose, Lance, and I chose to forfeit my connections. I chose to give up the only life I've known as an adult because I needed you more than I did the job." Laura explained, Lance lowering his gaze as he processed this new information. He shook his head.

"How am I supposed to believe that, Laura?" He asked, the Vixen blinking in shock that he believed she would make something like that up. Well, she supposed it also made sense, but still. Laura pulled her phone from her pocket and tossed it over to Lance, the Todd catching it and looking at it in confusion.

"Call my ex boss. He doesn't tell lies." She said, Lance sighing even as he did so. What did he have to lose, anyway?

" _Laura, I thought I told you not to call me again?"_ Lance froze for a moment, then cleared his throat.

"This is Lance Whitney. I have a few questions I need to ask you. Job has no bearing on this; strictly personal." He said, silence stretching for a long moment while Laura watched anxiously.

" _Very well. I will allow this one intrusion. I assume you call because of la mia ex figlia?"_ Lance chuckled at the Italian usage.

"That would be correct, boss mafioso Big." Lance answered, Laura's paws clenching at his words.

" _You speak la lingua madre. Sono impressionato."_ The Shrew remarked, Laura's eyes widening in shock at the words. _"I assume she has informed you of her...retirement?"_

"She has. I was wanting to investigate to make sure she was telling the truth." Lance answered, a sigh escaping the Shrew on the other end.

" _Laura is many things, Officer Whitney, but she is no liar on such important matters. She is telling you the truth. I'd advise you listen to her, as she has something she needs to tell you aside from this."_ And with that cryptic warning, the line was cut and Lance was left with Laura. He frowned, then stood.

"Alright, so you're telling the truth. Tell me why you left the mafia, aside from just to stay with me." Lance said, extending his paw to hand Laura her phone back. The Vixen took a deep breath.

"I...I'm pregnant." She said, Lance freezing at the words, paw only halfway to Laura. His muzzle parted slightly, his paws feeling numb, and the phone slipped from his paw. It bounced once and lay where it had fallen, Lance remaining silent save for his rattling breathing for a long moment.

"W-what?" He asked, Laura takking a step closer and wrapping her paws around his own frozen one. She smiled, eyes brimming with tears.

"You're gonna be a dad, Lance. Five weeks, give or take a few days." She said, pulling the frozen Todd into a hug. He hesitated for a long moment, then slowly hugged Laura back. The was silence for a long while as they stood there, Laura not wanting to go back to the conversation they'd been having and Lance too frozen in absolute shock to disengage from one another.

All things must come to an end, however, and Lance was the first to pull away.

"Why...why did you wait so long to tell me?" He asked, Laura shrugging her shoulders ever so faintly as she shook her head, a clear message she was just as clueless as him.

"If I had to hazard a guess, probably because I was scared. This... _everything_ is still new to me. I've faked all this a few times, but this is the first time it's been genuine and that just scared me. I didn't know if it would seem like manipulation when I finally told you what I did or not, and I didn't want that." Laura said, hanging her head and shaking it. "God, today is just a mess. My confession has gone all wrong, and now I've told you something I was hoping to tell you first after you were already mad at me for what I wanted to tell you after." Lance's expression shifted to amused bewilderment, apparently finding amusement in her words.

"I think that made sense." He teased, Laura rolling her eyes.

"Shut up, I tried." She said jokingly, then let out a sigh. "Lance, please understand, I don't want you to think I'm trying to manipulate you. I understand you're upset, and I won't fault you for going away for a bit to process things. You've just found out I was a mob Enforcer, and that I'm also pregnant. I know it must be a lot to take in." She said, Lance's expression softening.

"My anger is mostly passed, Laura. If I'm being honest, I'm more upset that Nick was right. But I'm not leaving. Not when you're like this." He said, Laura sighing.

"Lance, it isn't healthy to stay in the same space as somebody you're upset with. I don't have much experience with relationships, but I do know that much." She said, taking a step back and crossing her arms. "I can stand a few days away for both of us to cool off, Lance. You won't be hurting me by taking a short break to get any remaining anger out of your system." Lance sighed, shaking his head.

"Laura, you are _pregnant_. I am not leaving you alone. I don't care if you can take care of yourself, I can't just leave you even if you're still early in." He said, the notion that she was okay with him leaving her, even if only temporary to cool down, clearly upsetting him. "I mean, it's bad enough that Nick was right about you, but how can you be okay with me leaving you, even for a few days, when you're like this?"

"For christ's sake, Lance, I'm trying to make sure this has a chance to be salvaged! I understand that you don't like the idea of leaving me when I'm pregnant, but if you stay it'll probably just make things worse." Laura said, Lance opening his mouth to retort, then stopped. He sighed in defeat, knowing she had a point. He would have to leave for a short while, despite his reservations. It could be the make or break of their chances.

He mentally scoffed to himself, the still angry side of himself thinking it was rediculous he wanted to stay in a relationship with somebody who admitted to have been lying to and using him. The practical side of himself knew that even if he wanted to, he wouldn't be able to move on, however. Like it or not, they were Mates. That meant that one or both of them could die. Betrayed by evolution, but also possibly saved. Only time would tell.

"Alright. I'll probably be good in no more than three days." He said, Laura nodding.

"Thank you." She said quietly, Lance nodding his head before letting out a small huff. "I love you." The words were faint and hopeful.

"Love you too, Laura." Lance said quietly, placing a kiss on the top of her head before turning and making his way to the bedroom. He'd need clothes if he was going to be away. Laura just stood there, her eyes wide in shock. Of all the reactions and outcomes she'd ran through her head, this conversation ending with a soft spoken affirmation of love and an equally soft kiss had not even crossed her mind. She supposed she was lucky, but then Lance had also found out before she had been ready, so perhaps not.

Lance entered the room a moment later, a bag slung over a shoulder. He stopped in front of her, Laura staring at him silently. She smiled softly, Lance doing the same in response.

"I'll see you in a few days." Laura said, Lance dipping his head.

"You need anything, just call. I'll come." He said, Laura nodding to show she understood.

"I will, don't worry. Please keep this between us, at least for now?" She said, Lance huffing as his smile grew slightly.

"Of course." He said, a paw coming up as she lowered her head slightly, raising it back up. "I love you, and I'll be back as soon as I'm better."

"I'll be waiting. I want this to work." Laura said, raising herself up onto her toes and placing a kiss on Lance's muzzle. His paw that had raised her head came up to the side of her head, thumb stroking her cheek affectionately. Laura dropped back down and turned slightly, giving him a clear path to the door.

"I do to." Lance replied, walking past Laura and out the door. He paused when he entered the hallway, turning to look at her. His muzzle opened, as if he wanted to say something, then closed as his gaze fell. It raised back up after a moment. "Love you."

"Love you too." Laura said, Lance taking a deep breath as he turned and disappeared. Laura felt bad for finding amusement in the fact that somebody like Lance, who usually could think up the weirdest things ever conceived, had been at such a loss for words he'd been forced to repeat himself, in a way, twice. His eyes had said plenty, however.

Perhaps that was Laura's favorite thing about Lance. He had this ability to speak with his eyes when his tongue failed him that was far better than one would think, especially with his love for vocal communication. When he had – or wanted – to, at least. She thought it was endearing how his eyes could tell somebody more than his words ever could, especially when they knew how to read somebody like she or Officer Wilde did.

It was also kind of sexy, when he was in the mood.

The following day, Lance sat in his and Nick's cruiser while his fellow Red Fox talked to some pedestrian about...something. Lance hadn't really been paying attention. He didn't think it was serious, however, seeing as how casual both Nick and the random citizen appeared.

After a few minutes the two apparently finished their conversation, as Nick dipped his head politely in farewell and turned, walking back towards the cruiser. He hopped in and shut the door, then paused.

"What happened?" He asked after a moment, Lance remaining silent for a bit before sighing.

"Me and Laura...we had a bit of an argument. I'm staying away for a few days to calm down." Lance answered, Nick blinking in surprise at that.

"Sounds like a bit more than an argument, but okay." He said jokingly, Lance snding a glare at him that made his normal smirk disappear. He had clearly gotten the point that Lance wasn't in the mood for those kinds of jokes. "What was it about, if I may ask?"

"Just some trivial crap. Normal couple stuff, just escalated." Lance lied, not even bothering to justify the fact he had lied to his friend once again. Perhaps Laura had been influencing him more than he realized.

"I'm sorry to hear that. You two seem pretty good for each other." Nick said, Lance sending a surprised glance at his friend.

"I thought you hated her?" He asked in confusion, Nick chuckling.

"There's a large difference between hatred and distrust, Lance. Like I said, she just reminded me too much of myself before I was a cop. Other than that, she seems alright." He said, Lance opening his mouth to speak, then closing it.

"Thanks. It means a lot to hear that, Nick." He said after a moment, the Todd smiling slightly in response.

"That's what friends are for, Lance."

There was a comfortable silence for a long while as the two just sat there, both watching the surrounding area for anything suspicious.

"She's pregnant, you know." Lance suddenly said, Nick turning his head quickly at the words, his eyes wide in shock. "A few weeks."

"W-well, I suppose I should congratulate you, but something tells me you don't want to hear that." Nick said, Lance shrugging.

"It'd certainly be a step up." He remarked, Nick wincing as he turned his head away slightly.

"Right." The Todd agreed quietly, silence falling between them once more.

The rest of their shift passed quickly, and both parted ways as usual, though their destinations were different than normal. Lance had found a cheap motel room with only two or so health code violations, though the walls could use some thickening. He had a sneaking suspicion it was more of a one nighter motel.

Nick, on the other paw, was heading to the apartment he and Judy had recently rented. It was nice and comfortably roomy, and was surprisingly affordable for the part of the city it was in. Normally the apartments that were that good were much more costly.

The next day went smoothly and with no notable hiccups from either of them, but then the third day came around...

Lance sat at his desk with a bored expression, chin resting on his paw and eyes drooping heavily. He was about to pass out, and he didn't really care who caught him. At least, not until a phone clattered onto his desk with a familiar picture on the screen.

Lance reache dout and picked it up, acting like he'd never seen the photo before. He turned, unsurprised to see Nick standing there with a pissed expression.

"Should I know any of these mammals, aside from Laura?" Lance asked, gesturing with the phone.

"Yeah. They're Kevin, Raymond, and Koslov, three of the most well known Enforcers in Silvano Big's mafia. And Laura's with them." Nick said, Lance arching an eyebrow.

"And you're bringing this to my attention because...?" Nick's eye twitched ever so slightly at the question.

"Because I was right, Lance. She's using you!" Nick whispered, and Lance would later admit to thinking it kind Nick was at least trying to keep it private. At the moment, however, he felt panic claw at his chest. He kept that hidden, though, which was good.

"And like I've said, I'll believe it when I see proof. A simple picture isn't going to convince me that my Mate is a mafia spy. Especially when it's possible Laura didn't even recognize them." Lance said, Nick letting out an annoyed sigh as he took a step back, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Lance, I'm sorry, but...I'm gonna have to go with my gut on this. I'm gonna bring her in, ask a few questions." He said, taking his phone back and turning to walk away. Lance froze in shock at the words, though that didn't last long. His paw twitched as anger took hold of him, lips peeling back in a silent snarl as he silently stood. He approached Nick as the Todd opened the door.

Nick turned at the sound of his pawsteps, not expecting Lance to slam a hind paw against his chest and send him across the relativly short distance to the wall across from their office.

Officer Jameson Wolford was having a pretty good day so far. He'd gotten up early without any actual residual tiredness, a feat that rarely happened with him, and in a good mood as well. To top it off, his girlfriend Nadine had finally decided to be open and had kissed him in the Bull Pen. Overall, he was having one of the best days of his life.

At least, until Nick Wilde almost slammed into him as he was sent flying from his office. He yelped and leapt back, eyes wide, as he watched Lance storm from the office and grab Nick by the collar, lips split in a snarl.

"You keep your paws off of her, Nick. Do you hear me?" Lance said angrily, Wolford taking a hesitant step forward.

"Hey, what's going-" the Timber Wolf was cut off by the glare that Lance sent his way, the larger Canid locking up in fear. It didn't last long, however, and he prompty turned and walked away, tail between his legs and eyes wide in fear. Nick took advantage of Lance's distraction and slammed his paws into the crook of his arms, making the Todd drop him. He pushed him away and glanced around.

"Lance, for god's sake, don't do this. It's not worth it." He said, the other Todd remaining silent as he raised his paws in response. He surged forward and sent a jab at Nick's head, the older Todd barely dodging it and turning, getting on Lance's right and giving him room to manuever.

Lance waisted no time and sent a harsh kick to the side, knocking him back and to the ground. He raised his legs and kicked Lance back when the Todd tried to straddle him, rolling over and raising himself to a stand. He turned and received a harsh blow to the muzzle that snapped his head to the side, then turned his head back towards Lance with a snarl.

Lance charged forward and ducked under his swing, grabbing him around the waist and lifting him up, then slamming him back down onto the ground. He raised his paw, digits squeezed together tight enough to loudly pop, and made to bring it down only to be stopped by something grabbing his wrist. He turned his head to see Bogo staring down at him, Lance pulling on his arm. He actually brought it closer to himself, a loud gasp of shock escaping somebody watching as he moved Bogo's arm by simply pulling.

"No way!" Somebody exclaimed, Bogo glancing up and away from Lance. He snorted, then pulled Lance off of Nick with ease, tossing him away and into the arms of some other officer. Nick stood and tried to leap forward, only to be stopped by Wolford – who had come back out of morbid curiosity, Lance would later find out – looping his arms under Nick's armpits and holding him back.

"You were right, Nick! Okay!? Do you feel better about yourself now!?" Lance asked angrily, tears in his eyes even as he stared at the older Todd with absolute hatred. "I should have listened, because you were right!" Nick seemed to deflate in shock at the words, his eyes widening slowly.

"Lance..." Nick trailed off as silence took hold on the gathered officers as Lance slumped in defeat, sobs escaping him. Bogo was too surprised by the sudden mood change to keep a solid grip on the Todd, who merely slumped to the floor as if any energy he'd once had had been drained by just talking.

Later, after a stern talking to by Bogo – both Todds agreed it was a mercy considering how they'd acted – both Lance and Nick sat in silence inside their office. After a moment, Lance sighed.

"Nick, listen, I'm sorry for how I reacted. I was out of line, and I let emotion get the better of me." He said as he turned, Nick glancing at him.

"Yeah, you're right. But I'm guilty of the same, too. I should have just listened to whatever you had to say, and instead I decided to do something I knew was a mistake. I apologize." The older Todd said, hanging his head. "We've both made mistakes; the best we can do is acknowledge it and move on."

"Yeah. I agree." Lance said, glancing towards the clock. He stood with a sigh. "I should probably go. Supposed to be going back today." Nick nodded, waving offhandedly in farewell as Lance walked out the door. Their shift had technically ended ten minutes ago anyway, so it wasn't like Lance was breaking any rules.

Lance stepped through the door of the apartment he and Laura shared, setting the keys on the counter quietly before shutting the door just as quietly. He unbuttoned his shirt as he made his way to the bedroom, pulling it off as he stepped through the door and tossed it into the basket a few feet away. Laura was passed out on the bed, and the scent of self stimulation permeated the room. Seemed like she'd gotten lonely. A small grin found its way to his muzzle. Good thing his short vacation was up, then.

After stripping the rest of his clothes off, Lance crawled onto the bed as softly as possible, tilting his head as he looked down at Laura with love in his eyes, taking in her form with approval and hunger. He lowered his head and gently nudged her chin, shifting it slightly before placing a lick on the side of her neck. Laura groaned in her sleep faintly as her back arched ever so slightly, eyes fluttering open after a moment. She looked up at Lance, surprise flittering across her gaze before she reached up and quickly gripped the back of his neck, pulling him down and into a rough and sloppy kiss. Laura's jaws parted slightly as her breathing stuttered, and Lance wasted no time in deepening the kiss. When he came up for air, both were panting and sweaty, as if they'd been going at it for hours instead of sharing a long – albeit sensual – kiss.

"I've missed you." Laura said quietly, Lance grinning.

"I could tell the moment I walked in." He said, the Vixen scoffing.

"Oh please, that's just the warmup." She retorted, Lance arching an eyebrow before his grin broadened.

"Well, I'd be happy to spot for you, then, if you'd like to move up a bit." Lance offered, Laura chuckling for a moment before her eyes half lidded and she licked her lips, tongue poking out only enough to wet the skin.

"I was thinking something a bit more...intense." She answered, a grin splitting her muzzle as well.

"Well, I was hoping for something a bit more savorable, but a short, intense workout will do just as fine." Lance said, lowering his head and his body until he was laying on top of her, pressing his muzzle to hers as his paws snaked away from holding himself up and found Laura's, their paws clasping together tighty as he shifted forward.

Lance lay on his back only about five minutes later, Laura on top of him and both panting heavily.

"We...are so...gonna need...new besheets...after this." Laura said, her voice stuttering as she fought to bring oxygen into her lungs. Lance was just as loopy, eyes glazed in pleasure and more or less staring into space, despite the fact his eyes were trained on Laura.

"Yeah...definitely." Lance agreed, closing his eyes briefly before opening them quickly at the feeling of a nip on his arm. "Ow!"

"Oh shut up, you fell asleep." Laura said, Lance blinking.

"I did...?" He asked, Laura rolling her eyes.

"Lance, I've been staring at you for the last five minutes. Yes, you feel asleep. It was cute, though, so take comfort knowing I feel back about waking you."

"...For some reason that actually does make me feel better." Lance remarked, Laura chuckling. "But if you feel so bad, then why'd you wake me up?" He asked, Laura biting her lip nervously before taking a deep breath.

"...I'm still not spent." She said, Lance blinking in surprise.

"That's it?" He asked, the Vixen blinking as she stared at him. "You woke me up to ask me for a round two?"

"Yeah..." Laura answered, her gaze flicking left and right as if she was suddenly confused. "Did I not need to?"

"Would I mind being awoken by surprise sex?" Lance asked, tilting his head in thought. His expression softened as he sat up, Laura letting him despite easily being able to keep him pinned if she wanted. He lowered his head and gently kissed her. When he pulled away he was smiling. "No, no I would not." He shifted slightly and Laura gasped, claws digging into his back from where she'd wrapped her arms around him.

" _Oooooooh,_ Lance I swear you are too good to me." She groaned out, burying her head in his shoulder as he continued to move as much as he could. It wasn't much, seeing as they were still tied, but it was enough to do the trick.

"Well, I wouldn't be a very good husband if I wasn't, now would I?" He murmered into her ear, Laura locking up in surprise at the question. Lance froze as well, sensing her change, and his expression was fearful when she pulled her head back to look at him. "L-Laura, I'm so-" the Vixen cut him off with a kiss as full of her love for him that she could manage, stunning him.

When she pulled away, she smiled as her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Did you really think you even had to ask?" She said, voice cracking slightly. Lance blinked in shock before smiling, pressing his muzzle to hers roughly in joy. Laura accepted it, used to the way he got rough when he was overly emotional, which wasn't very often. She savored when he did, however, for that was when things _really_ got enjoyable. Her paws wondered to his chest, gripping the loose fur from the Todd's winter coat. While they did live in a warm environment almost all year round, Lance was odd in that his winter coat still came in. She liked it, however, thinking it made him look rather sexy.

Then again, she was pretty biased.

When the pair split apart, Laura felt the familiar feeling of their tie beginning to break, and she felt surprise overtake her at the realization of how much time must have passed for that to start to happen. Had they really been roughly making out that long?

Nevermind that, though, that meant they could get back to it.

Lance blinked in surprise when Laura pushed him down and onto his back, a smirk on her muzzle. He seemed to realize what she was planning when she moved a little, however, and he grinned.

"Alright." He said simply, reaching up and pulling her down to press his muzzle to hers.

This session was longer, more gentle, and with just as much, if not more, love than their first time had been. That was saying a lot, too.

Lance slowly raised his head up, eyes still closed, and turned his head, listening intently. He heard voices.

Opening his eyes was a bit painful, and his legs were a bit wobbly when he stood, but he eventually managed to get out of the bed and open the door. He blinked when he saw Laura talking with...Nick?

Nick turned his head in surprise, then quickly averted it.

"Oh my god, he's naked." He muttered, Lance looking down to see that, yes, he was indeed naked. He slowly shut the door with an awkward expression.

A few minutes later he walked back out with clean clothes on and a neutral expression. Nick still wouldn't look him in the eyes, however.

"So, if I might ask, what were you talking about and should I be concerned?" Lance asked as he sat down next to Laura, the Vixen unconsciously clasping his paw.

"Of course not. We were just discussing the fact I finally know where you got that bruise on your wrist from." Laura said, Lance blinking in confusion. He looked at his wrists, not really noticing anything until he realized the fur on his right wrist was a bit messed up – moreso than the rest of it, anyway – and a light bruise was faintly visible. He hunched his shoulders. He murmered quietly. "What was that?"

"I said that he was going to arrest you." Lance said quietly, Laura scoffing.

"I appreciate the fact you'd get into a heated argument with a friend about me, really, but fighting your partner over a simple picture is a bit low." She remarked, Lance's shoulders hunching further. "But seriously, I do appreciate you'd be willing to risk your job for me, just don't do it again."

"Okay." Lance said quietly, Nick just chuckling faintly in amusement. Laura turned her gaze to him, making him lean back slightly when her gaze went from the warm, loving look she gave Lance to ice cold and calculating.

"As for you, Officer Wilde, don't ever push my Mate like that again. Do I make myself clear?" She asked, her voice making even Lance scoot away at least a couple inches. It took a lot to unnerve that Todd, Nick knew, so he knew he should be abosultely terrified if Lance was unnerved enough to actually move. And he was.

"Crystal." Nick said in a high pitched tone, not unlike the squeaky tone a male made when his malehood was hit.

"Good. I may have quit my job as an Enforcer, but I still have friends that owe me. I will not allow any attacks on my Mate, be it verbal, physical, or psychological. Understood?" Nick nodded. "Good."

"...You have impregnated a real life Roberta, Lance." Nick remarked, Laura smirking in response.

"I'll decide to see that as a compliment, Officer Wilde." She said, leaning against Lance slightly. The Todd looked worried, though if it was about how casual Laura was about threatening him or genuine fear for his safety, he wasn't sure. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have something to discuss with my Mate. I won't hear of any...issues, when he comes back to work?"

"No ma'am. We've already worked everthing out." Nick answered as he stood, turning and making his way to the door. He paused, then turned. "Congatulations, by the way." He said, turning back around and walking out the door, shutting it behind him.

"So, what do we need to discuss?" Lance asked, looking incredibly confused. Laura smirked up at him.

"Nothing." She answered with a small shrug, then glancing to the side as if a thought occurred to her. "Well, something, but not necessarily right now."

"If it was important enough for you to want Nick gone, I think we should discuss it now." Lance argued, Laura frowning but offering no complaint.

"Alright fine." She muttered, shaking her head. "I was...thinking. About what careers I might try and pursue now that I'm clean. I'm too old to go to college, I think, so I'm limited there." Lance held up a paw to interrupt her before she could continue.

"I don't think you're too old to go to college. You're only...twenty five?" Lance said, the last part coming out hesitantly.

"Twenty six, now, but I'll forgive you on that. Never did tell you when my birthday was." Laura said, Lance dipping his head thankfully.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure you're not too old. I mean, I'm sure River might be an issue, but-"

"River?" Laura asked, Lance slowly hunching his shoulders sheepishly.

"Uh, yeah. You know, like from Doctor Who?" He said, Laura rolling her eyes in amusement.

"Lance, we are not naming our kit after the Doctor's wife." She said, Lance grumbling. Laura gained a thoughtful look. "...Okay, wait, it actually does have its appeal." She said after a moment, then paused again. "Or Jack, if it's male."

"Do you really want to name our kit after one of the most flirty mammals in creation, fictional or not?" Lance asked, Laura resting her gaze on him in a 'are you seriously asking me that' look.

"It's a nice name. Besides, being flirty is hardly a bad thing, as long as you aren't too amorous with it." Laura pointed out, a pause making it obvious she was considering whether or not she wanted to add more. "Besides, Jack was kinda hot..."

"...You got me there." Lance said, chuckling. "Alright, so River if it's a Vixen, Jack if it's a Todd. You wanna give 'em a middle name?" Laura frowned in thought, her eyes shifting around slightly.

"I...got nothing." She said after a moment, Lance humming in annoyed agreement. "I mean, I was thinking Rose, but River Rose Whitney doesn't really sound that great..."

"I think it sounds fine. Alliterate and clean, not too long or complicated." Lance said, Laura smiling slightly. "Alright, so Rose is a candidate. What do you think about Amos if it's a Todd?"

"Jack Amos Whitney?" Laura questioned, lowering her gaze in consideration. "I like it. I think it flows rather nicely." She said, leaning her head on Lance's arm. Her legs came up and went to the left.

"Alright, so we've got things we like. Should probably come up with other options, see if we like anything else more." Lance remarked, Laura grumbling.

"Later. Right now I just want sit here." She said, Lance chuckling. He turned slightly,leaning his back against the side of the couch. It had arms rests that came up to his chest, so it wasn't too uncomfortable to lean against it. Laura shifted herself, bringing her body forward until her back was against his chest. She let out a pleased hum at the warmth he offered, leaning her head back slightly to look up at him. He looked down at her and tilted his head ever so slightly, a soft smile making its way to his muzzle.

"I miss the days before I found out sometimes, you know. I think being clueless and at odds with Nick would have been preforable to how I felt when I did find out." Lance remarked after a moment, Laura blinking in surprise. "I almost killed him, by the way. Normally I would have just restrained him or something, but I ended up fighting him, and I was seriously considering killing him because he wanted to ask you a few questions about some stupid picture. Sometimes I don't even think I'm fit to wear the badge, especially if I'm ready to kill my best friend over something so trivial." Laura was silent for a long moment, her head lowering slowly. She raised herself up and away from herself from him, Lance feeling alarm settle over him for a moment before she turned and moved back to where she'd been. She reached up and gently cupped the side of his head, her expression soft.

"Lance, if you really think that, then why do you stay?" She asked, the Todd blinking in surprise at the question. "If you really think you don't deserve to wear the badge, then why haven't you turned yours in?" Lance averted his gaze as his expression shifted to one of consideration.

"I guess...because I want to make Nick proud. He saw something in me that made him think I was worthy to be his partner, and yet I was ready to kill him because he said something I didn't like. That's me, Laura. I've always been more inclined to violence, and I don't understand why. I thought becoming a cop would temper it in some way, but it's only made things more difficult to control when I'm offered the chance to become violent. I'm _terrified_ of what might happen if I snap. I would lose my job, my friend, and what trust and respect I've earned trying to prove myself that I was worthy to be considered good enough to be Nick's partner. Maybe even you, if it was bad enough. I could probably live with myself over losing all of that if you stayed, but if I lost you, I...honestly don't know if I would snap further or just shut down." Lance said, Laura's expression softening further. He liked how beautiful she looked when her expression softened like it was.

"Lance, I promise to you I'm not going to leave you. Especially not for something you struggle to control when offered the chance to let it out." Laura said, smiling faintly. A thoughtful look crossed her features. "Maybe, one day, you could show me what you'd look like if you snapped? I'm not saying I want you to ever cross that line, but I would be interested in seeing it, I think, if it ever does happen." The Todd looked amused by the request, surprising Laura who had thought he'd be horrified by the words.

"Perhaps. Though I wouldn't keep your hopes up." Lance said after a moment, surprising Laura further.

"I should hope not. I've never taken a life, but I know it's a huge weight on your shoulders. You'd have to be disturbed in the head to not be affected by killing somebody." Laura remarked, Lance chuckling in amusement.

"Says the ex mafia Enforcer in a relationship with a cop who, by his own admission, struggles to keep himself from killing somebody when he gets in a fight. Pretty certain this makes us a dysfunctional couple that actually works." Lance remarked cheekily, Laura rolling her eyes.

"Probably. But, also by your own admission, we work. We love each other. I think that's enough, wouldn't you agree?" She asked, Lance chuckling.

"Yeah. That's enough for me." He answered, leaning down. Laura raised her head up and pressed her muzzle to his softly. They pulled apart slowly, Laura smiling at him. She lay her head down on his chest, then closed her eyes as he reached up and gently rubbed the back of her head.

Several minutes later, after Laura had fallen asleep, Lance closed his eyes as well and fell asleep with a smile on his muzzle, love in his heart, and his Mate in his arms. He couldn't ask for a more perfect way to fall asleep.

 **And that does it for Chapter 5 of the Mafia portion of this story, which will get a sequel soon. I'm thinking of one more Chapter that sets up the next story, set several years into the future after their kit is born. The sequel** ** _will_** **see Lance snap, I assure you, and Laura will be present. And it will be glorious, because it will share several themes with the Revenge Arc of Zootopian Assassins. I won't spoil which, just to give you some joy in guessing. I know this was longer than average, but I wanted to wrap up as much of this story as I could, and I did that, I think. I also want to explain why Lance was so quick to attack Nick, before people complain he overreacted. Well, he did, but there's a reason. Lance tells Laura that he was mostly over finding out that Nick was right, but that was a** ** _huge_** **lie. He was over it a little, but nowhere near the level he said he was. So him attacking Nick like he did was a product of his emotions coming to the forefront as well as his hardwiring demanding that he take out the 'threat', which was Nick wanting to detain Laura, even though he only wanted to ask some questions. And yes, Lance being based on me does mean that I can be like that as well, but not to the level that Lance is. I tend to exaggerate a few qualities to make him a bit more interesting than I am, but other than that he's basically the same as me in terms of personality and the like. I tend to only get that violent to the intent to kill if I'm as upset as Lance was when he found out about Laura. And to those who say Lance forgave Laura too easily, he actually didn't. He's literally so in love that he's willing to stay with somebody that almost broke him emotionally, but another reason is the fact that Foxes are very much monogomous a majority of the time. He knows he probably wouldn't be able to take living without her, and he doesn't want to anyway, so he stays. It's kinda like somebody staying in an abusive relationship (I say that hesitantly), but also not because, while Laura did hurt him, she was actually willing to give up her life as an Enforcer because she loved him too much to continue lying and betraying his trust in her. I always intended for this story to be the cliché 'character falls in love with their mark' kinda thing from the beginning, but I hope I didn't overdo it. Also, I know the story got kinda lemony there around the end area, and I hope it didn't get too bad for FF and its...policies. This story contained a bit more sexual humor and the like mainly because that's just Laura's personality, but also because I thought it fit. Also, do remember that I wrote this Chapter before 2, 3, and 4, so I hope I don't overdo it when I do write them. Also, do tell me what you thought about the names Laura and Lance thought up for their kit. I'm curious if you guys like them. I had a bit of a discussion with my girlfriend about how the names sounded, and she said that while Whitney is more of a first name (apparently), and that Whitley would make a more sensible last name, I pointed out it was a bit late to change it. Anyway, she said the names sounded okay, but I was wondering what you guys thought. Do River Rose Whitney and Jack Amos Whitney sound like good names? I'm honestly considering making them both be born, though I'm not sure if it would be as twins or if Jack would be a later kit. We'll find out when I write it, I guess. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I will see you guys...next update. Word Count: 8,241**


	6. Epilogue

**Hey guys Price here and welcome to the Epilogue of Whetstone: Mafia! This Epilogue will also function as the first Chapter of the sequel, just so you guys know. I hope you guys like it, because I certainly enjoyed writing this story. For the next Whetstone story that is in a different universe, I'm thinking an interquel between Kinesis Beginnings and Kinesis Wars. It'll have a few AO3 exclusive Chapters for more mature themes, unless people** ** _really_** **want me to upload them to FF. I would rather not risk it, but I will if enough people ask. In fact, I would upload my more mature stories on FF if it didn't have rules against that kind of stuff. So blame them, I suppose. Also, the theme for the sequel to this will be Not Gona Die by Skillet. I think it fits the attitude of Lance and Laura during it. Anyway, that's enough of that, I think it's time to get...onto the story!**

Lance sat in his office at Precinct One, claws tapping one after the other on his desk in boredom. His ear twitched as the sound of the door opening reached his ears, but otherwise he didn't change the way he sat.

"So I heard that Jack made Operator." His partner of almost thirty years, Nick Wilde, remarked behind him. Lance felt a smile reach his muzzle at the words. His son had decided to be a cop, like him, but eventually he was noticed by the head of the Operators, a band of mammals that performed as a last resort, lethal force group. While he was proud that his son was good enough to get into the elite group, he was also concerned about how the way the Operators...well, operated, might affect his psychological state. Not everybody was cut out to take a life, as he'd found out during a confrontation with some punk who thought it'd be smart to pull a knife on him.

Fortunately for Lance, he'd been off duty, and thus hadn't had his bodycam on him when he'd accidentally slipped up on his self control. He pretended that he'd been protecting his own life. It helped, but not a lot. He suspected Nick knew, but the Todd had never brought it up, which showed he was as uncomfortable with the subject as Lance was.

"Yeah. Shoulda seen Laura and River's faces when they heard. Laura was about ready to freak out, while River was a bit more reserved up until I told her what the purpose of the Operators is. When she heard they were last resort, lethal force only, she was worse than Laura. Tried to talk him out of it, but he would have none of it. I suspect he wants to prove something, but I'm not quite sure what. Probably be out after his first go at it." Lance felt bad talking bad about his kit, but he also knew the difference between actually deriding somebody and telling it how it was. Jack had always been a bit more of the emotional kit, and had never really grown out of it. He also seemed to take after his namesake, as he often flirted with every Vixen his age he met. Lance felt it was more playful and not really serious, but he always kept his eyes on him when he mentioned somebody else.

Laura felt he was being overprotective or something, but he just wanted to make sure his kit wasn't being too careless with his affections. He knew how that could end up, especially for a Fox. His old friend Justin had ended up killing himself when he'd gotten attached to a Vixen who ended up leaving him after the first month. Lance missed him, but at the same time he thought the dead Todd was a prime example of being too loose with affection and what it could do to somebody.

"Oh I imagine. If Violet told me or Judy she wanted to do something like that, Judy would probably go insane. Or drive Violet insane with her nagging. One of the two." Nick said, Lance turning slightly.

"Speaking of everyone's favorite hybrid, how is she? Haven't heard much about her from you or Judy lately." Lance said, Nick shrugging.

"Well, she finally met somebody who liked her for herself and not who her parents were or anything and doesn't care that she's a hybrid, so that's always nice. I'll be investigating a few things, of course, but they seem okay from what she's talked about." Nick answered, Lance arching an eyebrow.

"Something tells me you might be abusing your powers as a cop." He remarked playfully, Nick rolling his eyes. He opened his mouth to retort when his radio chirped, making him pause. He frowned in confusion as he pulled it from his vest, clicking it. "Wilde here."

" _Hey, Nick, it's Jake. Is Lance with you?"_ Lance and Nick exchanged glances, both Todds becoming worried immediately. Nick opened his mouth to answer, then paused when Lance shook his head. He wanted to hear whatever it was that Jake didn't want him hearing.

"Uh, no, should I get him?" Nick asked, a sigh coming over the radio.

" _Please, god, no. Leave him out of this."_ Now both Todds were even more worried. _"There's been a...situation. I need you to come to the Reynard's Tail. And_ please, _leave Lance at the station. Don't tell him where you're going."_

"Alright, I'll be sure to do that. Can I get a room number?" Nick asked, glancing at Lance nervously.

" _...Five twenty five."_ Jake answered after a moment of hesitation, both Nick and Lance freezing. The radio fell from Nick's paw as he slowly turned his head to look at Lance, both of their eyes wide. Lance was the first to break free of their spell, hopping from his chair and dashing out the door. Nick snatched up his radio, then quickly ran after him. He couldn't keep up, however. Lance always had been faster, even when the pair had gotten a bit into their years like they were.

As Nick ran out the door and down the stairs, his and Lance's cruiser screeched to a halt in front of the stairs. He opened the door and hopped in, shutting the door quickly as Lance stepped on the gas and drove for no more than ten feet before turning harshly and driving the car out of the parking lot and onto the road. Nick pulled his seat belt on as fast as he could.

"Lance, calm down!" He said, the Todd remaining silent as he flipped the button for the car's sirens. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, however, and his knuckled popped audibly.

As the car turned on the road towards the apartment complex, Nick could tell that somebody was going to get hurt just by how hard Lance's expression was. If not now, then eventually. Only time would tell who it was, though. The car came to a harse stop, making Nick gag as the seat belt dug into his neck slightly. Lance didn't seem to be bothered, however, as he pushed the door opened and hopped out, approaching the door. Jake stood next to it, and the young Wolf's eyes widened in horror when he saw Lance. The Todd was well known for his 'bad cop' tendency when he wanted information. It was a wonder how much force one could apply to a bone without breaking it, if you were careful and skilled enough, or so he said.

The Wolf took only a single step back before Lance grabbed his collar with his paws and pulled him down, pressing his forehead against the Wolf's as he stared into his eyes angrily.

"Tell me what happened, now." He said, Jake swallowing.

"You should stay out here, sir." Jake said, refusing to answer, and Lance growled. His paw came back as if to punch the Wolf and his lip peeled back to show teeth, then stopped. He averted his gaze and lowered his paw, then stepped past the clearly terrified Jake. Nick dipped his head in apology as he stepped by a moment later.

When Nick stepped into the room number Jake had given him, he was greeted by the smell of iron and distress. Iron from the blood, and stress from the Todd that stood in the center of the room with a rigid stance. Nick hesitantly approached, knowing full well how Lance could be when he was upset. He had bore the bruises from the hits he'd taken almost twenty eight years ago for a month at least. Lance was stronger than he appeared, by a lot.

"Lance, I'm sorry." He said quietly, the Todd nodding to show that, while he didn't really care for Nick's words, he appreciated the sentiment. His lip peeled back and his arm shook as his paw clenched, but he did nothing else that would indicate he was bothered by what he was seeing. He took a deep breath and turned away, facing Nick.

"I should probably go call Laura. She'll want to know." He said, Nick nodding agreement. Lance turned and walked out of the room, leaving Nick alone with the source of Lance's distress. He sighed as he shook his head, a paw rubbing from his eyes and down his muzzle, head raising to the roof. He briefly wondered what may have caused this, but at the same time he wasn't sure if he wanted to know. It seemed too clean and efficient to have been random, which scared him. Either it was a planned strike, or a professional hit. Both terrified him with the implications of what they meant.

Lance stepped out of the building, ignoring Jake as he turned to the left and walked a few steps away. He hung his head as he pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed Laura's number. He took a shaky breath as the phone rang.

" _Hey Lance, what's up?"_ Laura asked, Lance hesitating briefly as he turned and leaned against the wall.

"Laura, I have some bad news." He said, voice cracking noticeably. Jake watched a few feet away, silent.

" _What is it? What happened?"_ His mate asked worriedly, Lance swallowing audibly.

"It's River. She's been murdered."

 **And that does it for the Epilogue of Whetstone: Mafia! It's a bit short, but it's intended to be that way. It flows nicely, and it lets me get straight to the plot. I intend to extend the ending a bit in the sequel version, so look forward to that I suppose.. The only things I'll spoil aside from the fact that Lance will snap is that Jake being a part of the Operators will also play into the story and its finale. Also, yes, the character of Violet is a reference to The Violet Diaries. The sequel may be a bit longer than this story, but it might also be around the same length. Depends on how the story flows from Chapter to Chapter. I've also changed my mind regarding the Reverse AU. It won't happen, since it would basically just be the exact same story, just with Lance and Laura's roles reversed, and that would be kinda repetitive and all that. Anyway, this is getting long enough, I will see you guys...next update. Word Count: 1,746**


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